This is not the season Penn State fans were hoping for coming into 2018.

After starting off the season with a 4-0 start, the Nittany Lions have found themselves in a two-game losing streak. Making matters worse, the two losses have come at home in heart-breaking fashion.

The skid started with a one-point loss to Ohio State in Happy Valley. James Franklin and company did have a chance to pull out a win late in the fourth quarter, but a questionable call on 4th-and-5 sent Penn State to its first loss of 2018. Things got even worse Saturday as Michigan State scored a go-ahead touchdown with 19 seconds remaining to upset the Nittany Lions.

Penn State has endured a number of similar close losses over the last few seasons. Sooner or later, those losses take their toll on even the most committed fans. That’s why Dan Wolken with USA TODAY Sports had the Nittany Lions fanbase as one of the most miserable in the country after getting upset in Week 7:

Win some, lose some? Nah. That’s not how this works. Not if you want to be a College Football Playoff-level program. You only get one mulligan a season if that’s your goal, which makes Franklin’s micro-decisions in close games totally fair for scrutiny.

Things have not been much better for Illinois as the team was blown out 46-7 by Purdue Saturday:

Where’s this going, really? Though some Illinois fans will point to every small step forward as proof that Lovie Smith has this thing going in the right direction and that some better future is on the horizon, it’s hard to ignore the steps back like Sunday’s 46-7 loss to Purdue in Champaign. Now halfway through his third year, Smith has proven he can beat Rutgers and some FCS teams. That’s about it.