Penn State-Purdue: Are critics attacking Nittany Lions' No. 4 ranking right? or just bitter?

North Shore Drive podcast - Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, Penguins and more

On their weekly Penn State football podcast, host Adam Bittner and Post-Gazette/Daily Collegian insider Joel Haas react to attacks on the Nittany Lions' No. 4 ranking in the AP and College Football Playoff polls from numerous critics including Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde. Are their critiques of Penn State's lack of big wins fair? Or are there just as many holes in the resumes of teams like Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss? Are the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs, specifically, benefitting from brand bias? And how many teams ranked behind Penn State have reasonable claims of being more talented?

Our duo tackles those topics, then reacts to a week of TV contract drama around the Big Ten. How diminished was Penn State's White Out win against Washington by airing on NBC's Peacock streaming service? And will blowback against Fox's Big Noon Saturday result in more marquee night games for Penn State and premier Big Ten foes like Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon any time soon?

Then our duo wraps the show by chatting a little nuts-and-bolts football. Did Penn State's receivers engender more confidence after big nights against Washington from Trey Wallace, Liam Clifford and Julian Fleming? What is the running game's outlook if Nick Singleton is forced to miss time with an injury? And how many sacks can Abdul Carter total by the end of the regular season after notching four in the last two games?