Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
2 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 5 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / State should be able to put up points. If the remodeled receivers room can pro- vide some level of output for Drew Al- lar, the Nittany Lions should be in great shape. Though I have the Nittany Lions fall- ing to Ohio State in Columbus in No- vember, the window for a run at a pos- sible national title is open in 2025. Prediction: 11-1 MATT HERB | MANAGING EDITOR There's so much to like about Penn State this year. This is surely the best offense James Franklin has assembled during his tenure with the program. The Nittany Lions have their strongest line, their deepest backfield and their most draft-worthy quarterback since Franklin took over in 2014. Also, Penn State loaded up at wide receiver in the offseason, improving its odds of success by bringing in three players with dem- onstrated productivity at their previous schools. Even at tight end, the position group that suffered the offense's big- gest loss with Tyler Warren now in the NFL, this team boasts an abundance of talented prospects waiting for their mo- ment in the spotlight. There are bigger concerns on de- fense, particularly in the middle, with the Nittany Lions looking a bit thin at tackle and linebacker. But the second- ary should be a strength, and first-year coordinator Jim Knowles has gotten re- sults everywhere he's been. Luring him from Ohio State was one of Franklin's bigger coups since arriving at PSU. As an eternal skeptic, it's constitu- tionally difficult for me to pick Penn State to go 11-1. Not only would a one- loss regular season require a victory over either Oregon or Ohio State, it would also require the Nittany Lions to avoid slipping up anywhere else on a schedule that is loaded with the kind of conference opponents (Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, etc.) that are capable of sur- prising an unwary favorite. Still, look- ing at the talent PSU has assembled, particularly on offense, an 11-win finish (with that lone loss coming in Colum- bus) seems within reach. Prediction: 11-1 GREG PICKEL | STAFF WRITER There have been many preseasons during the James Franklin era in which fans and pundits based their expecta- tions on an assessment of how many games Penn State would lose. The idea of a season without any setbacks was a nonstarter. The calculation is different this time around. PSU enters its 2025 campaign with a tremendous path to not only make the College Football Playoff but to potentially do so as the undefeated champion of the Big Ten. A strong re- turning cast combined with a few key transfer portal pickups make this as formidable a roster as Franklin has as- sembled in State College. If the Lions can beat Oregon at home on Sept. 27, a trip to Ohio State to start November will be what decides whether this team is 12-0 or 11-1 entering the postseason. W h i l e Pe n n S ta te n ow h a s J i m Knowles and more experience than the Buckeyes, we'll need to see a win at the Horseshoe to believe it. It's not impos- sible, but it's more likely that the Lions will end up with a blemish before the postseason. In 2025, that is no longer the impediment it once was. Prediction: 11-1 RYAN SNYDER | RECRUITING REPORTER You have to go back to 1999 to find the last time Penn State entered a season Senior running back Kaytron Allen is one of the stars of an offense that is expected to rank among the nation's best this fall. He rushed for 1,108 yards as a junior, the fifth-best total in the Big Ten. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS