Penn State entered November without a loss for the first time in 11 years and finds itself on the inside of College Football Playoff rankings' first top four. Current success can perhaps cloud the fact that these Nittany Lions were externally equipped with significantly different expectations only 10 weeks ago.

During a Wednesday conference call, lead ESPN College Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit acknowledged Penn State — applied with an over/under of 8.5 wins by Las Vegas — was largely overlooked during preseason conversations regarding conference title contenders.

"If you go back to August when the season started, not just the Big Ten but just the Big Ten East, it was so much talk about Michigan, there was a lot of talk about Ohio State, if there was a surprise team in the Big Ten East when the season started it was Mark Dantonio and Michigan State," Herbstreit said. "And the forgotten team really was I think Penn State. I don't know if it was a combination over the last couple years of losing Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley the year before that or what it was, but they were somewhat a forgotten team. So I think they came into the season with a very big chip on their shoulder."

The Nittany Lions opened with a 79-7 win over FCS foe Idaho (Penn State has surrendered only 77 points through eight games), recovered from shaky starts versus Buffalo and Pittsburgh, and have been dominant for extended stretches of Big Ten action. PSU established at least a 21-0 lead in four of its first five conference clashes.

"It's been a lot of fun to watch," Herbstreit said. "I was lucky enough to call a game there at the White Out a few weeks back when they played Michigan and I was even more impressed the week after that the way they went on the road against Michigan State. In a game where they could have let their guard down they went out and played dominating football that week as well."

Penn State snapped a two-game losing streak against the Spartans on Oct. 26, securing a 28-7 win in East Lansing before heading into another bye week. Emerging from a week off of game action and securely entrenched in the Playoff narrative, this program should secure its third double-digit win total in a four-year span for the first time since 1993-96.

"I think after all they went through seven or eight years ago, Penn State's brand is back," Herbstreit said. "I mean they lose great players, they recruit great players, they're developing great players, and they can replace great players. And to me that's the mark of a perennial power."

He went into detail on the Nittany Lions' ascension after referencing the "great to elite" comment Franklin made last September following a second consecutive one-point loss to Ohio State.

"I know their fan base," Herbstreit said. "With their national championships that they have in their trophy case, it's been great to win those games, but they want in the playoffs, they want Big Ten championships and they want a chance to win a national title, and they should. But I also think you have to look back at where this program was, really not that long ago."

"Bill O'Brien took over this program (in 2012) and I remember thinking, man, how is he going to do this? ... He started to give this program a pulse and get them back and it was like, wow, these guys are going to a bowl game, this is positive. And that was just six years ago. So now James Franklin comes in and it takes him two or three years to kind of get things up and recruiting players that are pretty good and they bring in Joe Moorehead and a new offense (in 2016), so I think it just kind of goes in stages. But I don't think you're entitled because you're Ohio State or you're Michigan or you're Penn State. Look at Nebraska, look at Miami, look at Florida State, look at Tennessee, look at USC — here are big-time perennial powers that wish they could be Penn State over these last three years."

The Nittany Lions last secured a conference championship in 2016, surging from 2-2 to an 11-win season that reached the Rose Bowl. So what's the next step for this Penn State squad?

"Their defense right now I would say is at a National Championship caliber," Herbstreit said. "They're right there as good as maybe anybody in the country and I think their offense, that's what we're going to see... When they go to Minneapolis this weekend and they go to Columbus, can they go into those kind of atmospheres with this offense and do that? ... They had so many different receivers on that (2016) team that allowed them to really be a dynamic offense. Even though Saquon got a lot of the attention, they had a lot of weapons. And right now I think that's where they're, to me, growing. Because you have (KJ) Hamler and (Jahan) Dotson and (Pat) Freiermuth and then there's a big drop, and I think in an era of offensive football, they need five, six, seven options at the skill spots, not two or three. I think that's the area of the program they're developing and still growing — the playmakers at the skill spots, the depth. Because obviously they have some pretty good players, but the depth of that spot I think is key when you look at some of the premier offenses and teams that are ranked in the top in the country."

While the offense has undergone some notable lulls over the course of this fall, signs of defensive inefficiency have been few and far between.

"You got guys that are just flying around and playing with a ton of confidence," Herbstreit said. "They seem to be attacking the line of scrimmage more so this year than any year before defensively because of the way they play at the point of attack, and the D-line and those linebackers flying downhill. It's made it easier I think for the secondary to play consistent too."

Beyond a Saturday showdown at fellow Big Ten unbeaten Minnesota, Penn State returns home for a Nov. 16 game against Indiana before embarking on an immense test. Ohio State, 8-0 and first overall in Playoff rankings, will host the Nittany Lions on Nov. 23.

Penn State last defeated the Buckeyes in 2016, knocking off second-ranked Ohio State in dramatic fashion and further igniting an unexpected Big Ten championship run. Ohio State overcame fourth-quarter deficits in each of the last two seasons en route to consecutive conference titles.

"Those games, the last few years, have been as big as any game you could maybe say in the country," Herbstreit said. "There's a lot at stake every single year they get together and I would expect this year to be no different. ... I think the difference between a Penn State and let's say a Wisconsin, who came in with a lot of hype (and lost 38-7 to Ohio State), is the ability to make plays on the perimeter, led by Hamler. (Sean) Clifford is much better at quarterback, much more capable of throwing and running, and I think their defense right now is playing at an elite level with their front seven. So it will be a great matchup, fun to build that one up and hype it up, but we'll see obviously what happens here in these next few weeks."

A loss in Columbus would presumably block Penn State's path to the Big Ten title game, but would it extinguish Playoff hopes? Herbstreit weighed in on those circumstances while considering a situation in which "all the favorites were to win" the rest of the way.

"If Penn State wins every game... and then they lose a hard-fought game in Columbus, I think that's the potential for the committee then to put (together) what they call a cluster," he said. "The cluster would be the one-loss PAC 12 (champion), one-loss Oklahoma, one-loss LSU and one-loss Penn State. Then they start trying to separate those four teams to see who could be that fourth team. ... I think that's the argument that the committee's going to potentially have."

But first things first — Penn State resumes its regular season schedule at noon ET Saturday in Minneapolis, with all possibilities within reach.

"There's a lot on the line for these two teams beyond just trying to win this game and I cannot wait to watch that," Herbstreit said. "I know LSU and Alabama is a game that everybody's talking about, but me personally, I can't wait to see that game on Saturday.