5 schools Penn State would love to kick out of the Big Ten

The Big Ten is expanding to 18 teams with the addition of UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington this offseason, but what if instead of growing, the league started to shrink and Penn State was the one voting its rivals off out of the conference? What five teams would the Nittany Lions pick to get rid of? 

It’s only going to get tougher for James Franklin to win his second Big Ten title with the growth of the conference, but the 12-team College Football Playoff does offset those frustrations quite a bit. Either way, the path to a conference and national championship would be much easier with these teams out of the way. 

There isn’t much of a rivalry between Penn State and Oregon, in fact, the most notable matchup went the Nittany Lions’ way. Ki-Jana Carter dominated the 1995 Rose Bowl from the very first snap, taking it 83 yards for a touchdown en route to a 38-20 Penn State victory, the first Rose Bowl win in school history. 

However, the Nittany Lions would still love to see Dan Lanning’s program elsewhere in the country because the Ducks are becoming a powerhouse in the northwest. Lanning’s roster was loaded last season and only Washington could get the best of his team, and with each passing recruiting class and transfer portal cycle, the talent level only rises in Eugene. 

Oregon is the co-favorite to win the Big Ten with Ohio State in 2024, and that knocks Penn State down a rung on the conference ladder.