There were a lot of astute college football observers who circled Nov. 1 on the calendar during the summer. The reason? Many thought that Saturday's Ohio State-Penn State game in Columbus could very well be a showdown of the two best teams in the country. 

No. 1 vs. No. 2? It didn't seem so far-fetched at the time with two schools that made the national semifinals a year ago and had lots of All-American talent returning.

It hasn't turned out that way, of course. Ohio State is a perfect 7-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country, but Penn State has been a mess. They've lost four straight games — three to unranked foes — and have fired long-time coach James Franklin. They're in a complete free fall.

Despite that, there are still great storylines for the Noon ET showdown that's the nationally televised game on FOX. The biggest might be the return on Jim Knowles to Columbus. He's the Penn State defensive coordinator now, but he had the same role with Ohio State last year, helping lead a great defense to the national title.

It'll seem weird, considering his quick exit right after the title game.

“Like any relationship, when it breaks off, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. But there really hasn't been much communication,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters. “He did a great job when he was here, helped us win a national championship, and kind of left it at that.

"And then it was, ‘Hey, we got to go make a replacement,’ and move on from there. So yeah, that’s kind of how it is. It was abrupt, but we certainly respect the work that he did when he was here.”

Buckeye Roundtable writer Matthew Schmidt wrote about Knowles' return. Here's his story.

Ohio State's Ryan Day Drops Interesting Remarks on Jim Knowles Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has delivered some intriguing comments on former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who is now with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Ohio State's 2025 schedule, results

• Aug. 30 — No. 3 Ohio State defeated No. 1 Texas 14-7 in Columbus, Ohio. Record: 1-0
• Sept. 6 — No. 1 Ohio State defeated Grambling 70-0 in Columbus, Ohio. Record: 2-0
• Sept. 13 — No. 1 Ohio State defeated Ohio 37-9 in Columbus, Ohio. Record: 3-0
• Sept. 20 — Bye week.
• Sept. 27 — No. 1 Ohio State defeated Washington 24-6 in Seattle, Wash. Record: 4-0, 1-0 in Big Ten
• Oct. 4 — No. 1 Ohio State defeated Minnesota 42-3 in Columbus, Ohio. Record: 5-0, 2-0 in Big Ten
• Oct. 11 — No. 1 Ohio State defeated No. 17 Illinois 34-16 in Champaign, Ill. Record: 6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten
• Oct. 18 — No. 1 Ohio State defeated Wisconsin 34-0 in Madison, Wis. Record: 7-0, 4-0 in Big Ten
• Oct. 25 — Bye week.
• Nov. 1 — Penn State (3-4, 0-4 in Big Ten) at Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 in Big Ten), Noon ET in Columbus, Ohio. TV: FOX.
• Nov. 8 — Ohio State at Purdue, 1 p.m. ET in West Lafayette, Ind. TV: Big Ten Network.
• Nov. 15 — UCLA at Ohio State, Time TBA
• Nov. 22 — Rutgers at Ohio State, Time TBA
• Nov. 29 — Ohio State at Michigan, Noon ET. TV: FOX

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