The Penn State men's soccer team should be used to the routine of playing ranked opponents by now.

After competing against five preseason-ranked opponents in the last six games, the No. 8 Nittany Lions find themselves in a similar situation this weekend.

Penn State will battle with No. 25 Tulsa at 8:35 p.m. today and will finish up the Hurricane Classic against No. 15 SMU at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

"You get better by playing quality opposition," Lions coach Barry Gorman said. "This will be a good test."

Penn State passed last week's test against Virginia Tech and Akron with flying colors but will face much stiffer competition this time around at the classic.

The Mustangs have an aggressive back line headed by All-American Ugo Ihemelu.

And if the Lions can't convert their early shots on goal into points on the scoreboard, they may not find many opportunities later in the game.

Penn State dominated the Hokies last weekend but couldn't capitalize and put the game away. If that's the case against SMU or Tulsa, the Lions won't be coming home with an overtime win -- as was the case against Virginia Tech.

Instead, the nation's longest unbeaten streak of nine games may be in jeopardy.

Penn State and Southwest Missouri State are currently undefeated in the nine-game span dating back to last season.

Still, the Lions offense showed some flashes of brilliance in the 4-0 win over the Zips.

"We were waiting for a breakout game like that," sophomore forward Simon Omekanda said. "We know we can blow out a team and really dominate the game now."

Tulsa's offense is also known for being explosive, however.

Last season Ryan Pore and Kyle Brown combined to form one of the most effective forward duos in the nation, as they combined for 32 goals and 55 points.

Brown is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but Pore has shown he's still a force to be reckoned with by tallying four goals in the last three games.

Omekanda countered with an example of Penn State's strong defense.

"We beat Tulsa in overtime last year," he said. "So, in like 110 minutes, they only scored one goal and we have the same back line this year."

Team captain Gabe Bernstein won't make the trip to Texas due to a hamstring injury, but Gorman hopes he'll be back in time for the Indiana game on Oct. 1.

Defender Markku Viitanen is also nursing an ankle injury but is cleared to play for today.

The question about whether the four-goal win against Akron was a step in the right direction or just a fluke should be answered this weekend.

If the Lions can collect convincing wins over two ranked opponents, there's no telling what this team is capable of achieving.

If they lose or tie, the confidence and momentum gained from last weekend will be completely erased.