There’s only one way to describe the Big Ten football season in late November: top-heavy.

Oregon is 11-0, Indiana is 10-0 and Penn State and Ohio State are each 9-1. The Ducks are No. 1 in the AP rankings, Ohio State is No. 2, Penn State is No. 4 and Indiana is No. 5. The next teams in the Big Ten rankings are Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, all tied. at 4-3 in conference play.

So top heavy.

James Franklin’s Nittany Lions should finish the regular season 11-1. They are two-touchdown favorites on the road against Minnesota on Saturday and PSU will be prohibitive favorites at home against Maryland on November 30.

But will 11-1 be enough to get the Lions to Indianapolis for the Dec. 7 Big Ten title game?

One of our Penn State text message subscribers wants to know as we continue our series of questions and comments on PennLive’s finest mailbag.

As always, your “Hey Bob” submissions are appreciated. (I’ll also exclude “Hey Robert” questions).

For clarity, some questions and comments may be slightly edited.

PSU was running as the No. 4 team in the country against Purdue. The Lions seem to be getting better with every game. Special teams can be better, but they are good when it comes to getting between the uprights. The depth seems to improve as guys get more playing time. Minnesota is always tough at home, but the Lions should take care of business over the next two weeks. The real question is this: Will they have a shot at the Big Ten championship if Oregon and Indiana stumble? Is there a scenario where PSU plays for the Big Ten championship and a first game in the playoffs?

There’s always a chance, just not much. In virtually any other year, an 11-1 Penn State regular season would likely qualify for a spot in the title game. Franklin’s Lions were 10-2 in their 2016 Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin, winning 38-31 in a thriller.

Penn State has only faced one of the teams in the Big Ten title mix. Ohio State defeated PSU 20-13 in State College on Nov. 2.

After a bye week, undefeated Oregon plays at home against Washington. The Huskies, 35-6 losers to PSU at State College two weeks ago, are WINLOS on the road. That’s right, 0-4.

Ohio State hosts Indiana on Saturday. The winner of that game will also be tough to beat in the Big Ten championship game. The Buckeyes face archrival Michigan at home the following week and Indiana hosts Purdue. Michigan is currently 5-5 and 3-4 in conference play. The Boilermakers, defeated 49-10 by Penn State on Saturday, are WINLESS in Big Ten play. Yes, 0-7.

I don’t see Oregon stumbling compared to Washington. Indiana stumbles? You mean against Purdue? No chance. Here are the Big Ten title game tiebreakers.

It’s not looking good, folks.

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