Terrelle Pryor finally has his signature win.

The Pennsylvania native returned to his home state and delivered a clutch performance in Happy Valley, leading Ohio State past Penn State, 24-7, in a key Big Ten battle. The win, along with Iowa's loss to Northwestern, puts the Buckeyes in position to win yet another Big Ten championship. It also probably puts Pryor at ease.

The kid needed a big win. Now he's got it.

Pryor's numbers weren't spectacular against the Nittany Lions--he completed 8 of 17 passes for just 125 yards--but two of those completions went for touchdowns. He added another score on the ground.

More important was the fact that Pryor played smart, steady football. He took what the defense gave him. He didn't turn the ball over. He played the best game of his young career.

Helping his cause, and keeping the pressure off him and that offense, was the suffocating Ohio State defense, which limited Penn State to just nine first downs and 201 total yards on the day. The Buckeyes' front four absolutely dominated the Nittany Lion offensive line, raising new questions about a Penn State group that, it was said, had come into its own in recent weeks.

The bottom line from Happy Valley?

Iowa is pretty good. Penn State is pretty good. Wisconsin is pretty good.

But Ohio State is still the team to beat in the Big Ten.

Here are my other thoughts on college football's Week 10:

Iowa's luck ran out. It ran out in a big way. The Hawkeyes had been living on the edge all season, and against Northwestern, it finally caught up with them. Though the Hawkeyes jumped out to a 10-0 lead, a fluky play in their own end zone--quarterback Ricky Stanzi fumbled and Northwestern recovered for a tide-turning touchdown--not only gave the Wildcats new life, but also knocked Stanzi out of the game with an ankle injury. Northwestern would go on to win, 17-10, as backup quarterback James Vanderberg struggled the get the Hawkeye offense moving. Stanzi will likely miss next week's key battle at Ohio State, which means the Hawkeyes could go from national title contender to Big Ten also-ran in the span of just two weeks. The lesson here? Simple: Entire seasons can change with just a single play.

Rich Rodriguez and Charlie Weis are back on the hot seat. If you think Joe Paterno and Kirk Ferentz are a little depressed today, well, imagine how Rodriguez and Weis feel. Michigan continued its late-season collapse with an embarrassing 38-36 loss, at home, to lowly Purdue. This was the first time since 1966--yes, 1966--that the Boilers won in Ann Arbor. Michigan is now 5-5 on the year, including a horrible 1-5 mark in the Big Ten, and their defense is an embarrassment: They let Purdue run up 494 total yards on the day, including 367 through the air. Notre Dame, meanwhile, fell to 6-3 on the year--and saw their faint BCS bowl game hopes dashed--with a 23-21 loss to Navy. And mind you, folks, this is the same Navy team that lost last week to Temple. Said Weis afteward: "I'm going to roll in tomorrow morning exactly the same way, whether we had won or lost. Does it feel bad? Yeah. Does it hurt? Yeah. But it's not going to change my approach of how I coach."

Photo: Terrelle Pryor played the best game of his young career in a 24-7 win over Penn State. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

It's as simple as this, folks: There are basically two games worth watching this weekend.

There is Alabama-LSU in the latest edition of The Saban Bowl.

And then there is Penn State-Ohio State is the latest edition of The Big Ten Border War.

The Saban Bowl winner will seize control of the SEC West and likely punch their ticket to the SEC Championship Game against Florida. The winner of the Penn State-Ohio State will remain on track for a BCS bid--and a possible share of the Big Ten title.

Two huge games. Four storied programs. Four championship-caliber coaches. A couple Heisman-worthy offensive stars. Vicious defenses. Bryant-Denny. Beaver Stadium.

November college football at its best.

Can't wait, folks.

Just can't wait.

Here are my picks for those two huge showdowns--and one other game, as well.

No. 9 LSU at No. 3 Alabama (3:30 p.m.): There's an awful lot of hype around this one. Which is just great. It's been a fun week down in SEC country, I'm sure. Just one problem: LSU has no chance to win. In fact, I'd be surprised if they even keep it close. Tide tailback Mark Ingram has faced defenses tougher than LSU's (Virginia Tech, Tennessee) and fared pretty well. Expect him to get 20-plus carries in this one. On the other side of the ball, 'Bama's ridiculously talented defense figures to shut down an LSU offense that, despite some recent success (you know, like, against Tulane) is still a work in progress. Nick Saban wins his namesake game and keeps the Tide on track for a national title. Alabama 27, LSU 10

No. 16 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State (3:30 p.m.): I'll give you three reasons why Penn State wins this one, folks. 1. Daryll Clark is less likely to throw the game away, and more likely to take the game over, than Terrelle Pryor. 2. Ohio State is without starting kicker Aaron Pettrey. 3. Penn State linebackers Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman are finally healthy. There you go. In a slugfest, the Nits come out on top. Penn State 24, Ohio State 19

Florida State at Clemson (7:45 p.m.): Two of the nation's most confounding teams meet for a suddenly important ACC clash. The season-long drama continued in Tallahassee this week, as longtime defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews announced he would retire at season's end (and coach Bobby Bowden announced that he, not coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher, would make the final call on Andrews' replacement). As for Clemson? Well, they're accustomed to drama. I mean, come on, it's Clemson. C.J. Spiller is allegedly a darkhorse Heisman candidate. If he wants to remain a Heisman candidate, he better show up big this week. I think he will. Clemson 37, Florida State 24

Photo: Can Les Miles and LSU upset Alabama? Answer: No. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Well, this is just horrible.

Ohio State--one of the most storied programs in all of college football--will ditch decades of tradition and wear utterly ridiculous "alternate" uniforms when they take on Michigan later this month.

As someone who grew up in Ohio, and as someone who believes rather strongly that you shouldn't mess with great uniforms, this announcement makes me, well, unhappy. Ohio State has some of the greatest unis in sports. So why mess with them?

Well, apparently, because Nike asked them to.

In a statement, Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said the following: "During spring, 2009, Ohio State was invited by Nike to participate in its Rivalry uniform program with several other universities from around the nation. They offered us a chance to try a new uniform product featuring cutting-edge fabrics and technology; participation in the program also offered us a one-time opportunity to salute one of those great championship teams that have built the Ohio State football tradition. ...

"For this special program, we chose to recognize the achievements of our undefeated 1954 national championship team, winning the Big Ten title outright before capturing a Rose Bowl victory. These great Buckeyes celebrated their 55th anniversary with us at the Minnesota game, and this is another way for us to pay homage to their stellar achievements. ...

"Again, this is a one-time opportunity to honor a great championship team. We have no plans to make any changes to the traditional Buckeye uniform for the foreseeable future."

Oh, whatever, Gene.

You've already sold out. Just admit it.

Ohio State: It's the new Oregon.

Photo: Ohio State will not wear its actual uniforms when it takes on Michigan later this year. Great idea. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

When No. 16 Ohio State heads to Happy Valley this weekend for a crucial Big Ten showdown against No. 11 Penn State, the Buckeyes will be without one of their most valuable, if least heralded, scoring threats.

Placekicker Aaron Pettrey suffered a torn MCL in the Buckeyes' 45-0 win over New Mexico State (yawn) last weekend, and will likely miss the remainder of the season--including, of course, this week's key contest against the Nittany Lions. Pettrey suffered the injury while running down the field on kick coverage.

This is a potentially big loss for the Buckeyes and comes at just about the worst possible time. Besides, when these teams met in Columbus last season, it was a true defensive slugfest, with the Nittany Lions squeaking by, 13-6. This year's matchup figures to be just as low-scoring--the Buckeyes and Nits boast two of the best defenses in the country--and so the kicking game will be crucial.

Without Pettrey, the Buckeyes will likely turn to backup Devin Barclay, who converted just 1 of 3 field goals last week. Pettery had been 13 of 17 on the year, including 6 of 8 from beyond 40 yards.

Oh, in case you're wondering: Penn State kicker Collin Wagner is 10 for 14 on the year, and 34 for 34 on extra-point attempts.

Photo: Ohio State kicker Aaron Petrrey is out for the season with a torn MCL. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)