Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
W e live in a world of instant grati- fication, of Spotify and Netflix and on-demand everything. Why should college football polling be any different? When On3's Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman set out to assemble a top 10 for the 2025 season, they didn't wait for the end of spring practice or the closing of the transfer portal or the NFL's draft declaration deadline. They didn't even wait for the end of the 2024 season. The two veteran college football writers is- sued their preliminary rankings on Jan. 3, six days before Penn State faced Notre Dame in the first of this year's College Football Playoff semifinal games. That game didn't go as PSU had hoped, with the Irish prevailing, 27-24, on a late field goal. But if it's any con- solation, Staples and Wasserman see the Nittany Lions as realistic title as- pirants next season, listing them fourth in their poll behind Texas, Oregon and Ohio State. "You could make the strong case that Drew Allar should hit the NFL Draft this year while the quarterback position isn't that deep, but he has already decided to return to State College for another year," Wasserman wrote. "Expecting a big jump from Penn State's first legit pro quarterback prospect in years, the Nittany Lions should be a deep and vet- eran team ready to build off of this year's impressive run to the College Football Playoff semifinals." Allar's announcement on Dec. 16 that he plans to use his senior year of eligibil- ity did indeed boost Penn State's out- look. Instead of staging a quarterback battle during the offseason, the Nittany Lions will have the services of a player with first-round potential. Allar has started 29 games over the past two seasons, throwing for 5,958 yards, with a 63.2 percent completion rate, 49 touchdown passes and 10 inter- ceptions. He struggled against the Irish, underscoring a point that James Franklin has made regarding his potential. Said the coach, "We believe there's still a lot of room for growth and development." Penn State is expected to return 12 other players with at least six games of Its marathon 2024 season finally complete, Penn State belatedly flips the calendar ahead The Future Is Now W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M 2 8 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 2025 LOOK AHEAD