There are many stories throughout time where the main character comes to a fork in the road. The character is offered two separate paths and must choose which path to go down.

That analogy is useful in this week's Penn State of Mind column because I believe the Nittany Lions football program is at a fork in the road. Will they continue down the same old path and lose the big game or will they be able to pull out a program-changing victory over the No. 2 team in the country in Ohio State.Now, I don't want people to think that if Penn State does lose that I'm saying that the program is in trouble. That's actually what I'm not saying at all, but what I am saying is that if it can meet the challenge head on and beat the Buckeyes, this is the moment that Nittany Lions fans will look back and say; "This is when Penn State football started its comeback."It will certainly be a tall test this evening (8 p.m. ET, ABC) as the undefeated No. 2 ranked Buckeyes invade Beaver Stadium. Penn State's last in game action supplied arguably its biggest win in the James Franklin era with a 38-14 victory over then undefeated Maryland. The Nittany Lions will also be well rested for their contest with Buckeyes as they're coming off a bye week.It's no secret that the injury bug has bitten Penn State hard this season, but some good news finally came out of Happy Valley earlier this week. On Wednesday, starting middle linebacker Jason Cabinda and starting outside linebacker Brandon Bell both returned to practice. Cabinda and Bell have been out of the lineup since the second game of the season and both will be a welcomed addition to the Nittany Lions defense.Don't expect to see Cabinda and Bell play the whole game however, with the pair being out so long you will still see a heavy dose of Cam Brown, Manny Bowen, and Brandon Smith. In Penn State's prior two games that trio along with Jake Cooper and Koa Farmer have done a good enough job to give Penn State a chance to win. It really is one the best unsung stories in the Big Ten this season."As you guys know, we've had a significant amount of injuries, specifically at some positions, but I think there's a chance we could get [Jason] Cabinda back this week," said Franklin. "Now we have to remember, he hasn't played football or practiced in a long time. So to think jumping back in there after missing that amount of time is going to be a challenge. It's the same thing with Brandon Bell and [Jake] Cooper. There's a chance we could get those guys back, but we'll see. We'll see how it plays out."Like I said, it's not like last week they practiced and this week we're hoping to get them back. They haven't practiced, at all, but that would be a nice bonus. Obviously the more Koa [Farmer] and the more Cam [Brown] play the better. The more experience they get, the more confident that they become."The Nittany Lions will need every able bodied defensive player they can put on the field against the Buckeyes this week, because quite simply they're one of the best offensive teams in the country. To beat the Buckeyes you must be able to stop their rushing attack, which is deadly.Veteran quarterback J.T. Barrett runs the show and all he's done this season is pass for 1,207 yards with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Barrett as most people know is also a threat in the run game. He's rushed for 434 yards and six touchdowns.Joining Barrett in the backfield are running backs Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel. Weber has rushed for 612 yards and Samuel has rushed for 456 yards on the season. Samuel is also very dangerous in the passing game as he has caught 29 balls for 403 yards. Simply put, the Buckeyes have weapons all over the field and the proof is in the statistics.Ohio State is averaging 49.3 points per game, over 300 yards on the ground, and 516 yards of total offense."When you have a returning starter or a quarterback who has been very successful and productive, I think they have leaned on him heavily, especially early in the year, and now their running backs are really playing well," said Franklin. "The offensive line is playing good as well, but when you have a quarterback that can make plays for you, it allows that youth around him to grow."Another obstacle in the way of Penn State's upset hopes is the loss of its right tackle and its best offensive lineman Andrew Nelson. Nelson is out for the season with a leg injury he sustained in the Maryland game. Paris Palmer has been inserted into the starting lineup at the left tackle spot, moving Brandon Mahon to the right tackle position. Palmer has struggled in the past at left tackle, which doesn't bode well for the Nittany Lions because of the always talented Ohio State pass rush.The Buckeyes have generated a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks with 15 sacks and 42 tackles for a loss on the season. In Penn State's first few drives it will be easy to see if Palmer can handle Ohio State's athletic pressure defense."I think whenever you lose a guy like [Andrew] Nelson, who we think is a very, very good football player and has played at a high level here for a number of years, whenever you take a guy like that away, it has an effect," said Franklin. "Especially on the offensive line where we've been somewhat fortunate to play with the same group of guys all year long, probably for the first time since we've been here."Now you take Nelson out of the equation and you add a new component. Luckily for us, Paris [Palmer] has played a lot of football, so that helps. Luckily for us, we did have a bye week to get a little bit of that chemistry going with those guys, as well."Las Vegas has Ohio State as a 19.5-point favorite.I think the Nittany Lions have to make plays on offense to stay in this one. So, expect Trace McSorley to use his feet once again the zone read look in order to keep Ohio State off balance. I actually think the Penn State run game will have some success later tonight mixing in the run with McSorley and Barkley. The key will be if the offensive line can protect McSorley in passing situations and McSorley makes good decisions and takes his shots deep when the opportunity presents itself.The night game white out atmosphere is one of the toughest environments to play in, so if Penn State can create some big plays early or possibly a turnover on the defensive end, the game could get really interesting.My pick is Ohio State 38, Penn State 28.