Penn State football is licking its wounds after a 24-20 home loss to Wisconsin that caused the boo birds to come out in Happy Valley. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell's halftime speech rallied the troops as the Badgers overcame a big halftime deficit to hand Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell his first loss as Penn State's coach.

Fans are justifiably upset after watching their team lose at home, but Penn State's national title hopes aren't over yet. The Nittany Lions may not have a top 10 or even a top 15 caliber team at this point in time after an injury to wideout Koby Howard, but they do have just one loss in four games and a schedule that will give them ample opportunities to prove themselves worthy of a College Football Playoff spot.

Opportunities for signature wins

Penn State has an opportunity to score a signature win against Northwestern on October 3 at the new Ryan Field, which would be the best of the Campbell era so far.

Northwestern is coming off of a close road loss to the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers that showed how good they've gotten as a team. Coach David Braun's group has gained respect nationally after Indiana coach Curt Cignetti praised them, and quarterback Aidan Chiles is in the upper half of Big Ten quarterbacks.

Following Northwestern, USC football visits Happy Valley, a high profile game that will introduce Campbell's team to a national audience. USC struggled with Oregon at home in Week 4, losing 41-27 and putting coach Lincoln Riley back on the hot seat. A win over USC will be tough, but is totally within the realm of possibility for Campbell and Becht's team.

On October 17, Penn State will travel to Michigan for another huge game that could be one of the most-watched of the college football season. The Wolverines' offense looks better than Penn State's, but there is plenty of time between now and this game for Becht and his receivers to build improved chemistry. The Penn State running game is also showing promise as former Ohio State transfer James Peoples continues to show what he can do behind an offensive line whose depth is improving.

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The Big Ten is wide open this year

The Big Ten looked like a three-team race at the start of the season, but losses by Ohio State and Oregon have shown that both teams are vulnerable in certain areas. Indiana football also looked beatable in September 25's close win over Northwestern at Memorial Stadium.

Penn State recruits four and five-star talent on a level most Big Ten teams don't and will have a raw talent advantage over many of its opponents for the rest of the season. Campbell's Nittany Lions won't be favored to win the Big Ten, but they have a reasonable chance to finish the rest of the season with one more loss or less maximum giving them a prime opportunity to make it to the College Football Playoff.

Lions' title visions redefined

On paper, the Nittany Lions have as good of a chance as many teams to make the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship. In practice, they suddenly look like a paper tiger after losing to the Badgers.

Campbell showed plenty of coaching skill and moxie in Ames, Iowa with the Cyclones, and he will need all of it to lead Penn State back to college football's promised land. The Nittany Lions coach met with members of the 1986 national title team recently and now has a vision for what a title run will require. The Lions' title dreams aren't dead, but they are being redefined as Campbell's team continues an incredibly difficult stretch of games.