Michigan played its fourth game of the season without head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh began serving his second suspension of the season after the Big Ten imposed a three-game ban for breaking sportsmanship rules against on-site scouting of opponents' signs.
And the Wolverines played, for the first time this season, against an opponent that actually seemed as if it might have a shot to win.
All of this constituted potentially seismic shifts in the Big Ten's power structure, and yet, when the dust settled on Michigan's 24-15 win, we were left with the same story we've seen all season.
Michigan won, and although the game was ostensibly close for much of the way, the Wolverines were never in real danger. Penn State lost, and James Franklin is now 4-16 against Michigan and Ohio State in his career in Happy Valley.