Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / S T A F F P R E D I C T I O N S / / / / / / / NATE BAUER | WEBSITE EDITOR A year ago, Penn State faced Ohio State at Beaver Stadium and avoided Oregon during the regular season. This year, the Nittany Lions must travel to Columbus, and they'll play the defend- ing Big Ten champion Ducks in their conference opener (albeit in State Col- lege). The Lions fell to both of those teams last year, struggling on offense in a 20- 13 loss to Ohio State and dropping a 45- 37 shootout to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game. This year offers new hope. A win at the Horseshoe is unlikely but possible. A victory over Oregon is definitely pos- sible, with the Ducks having to head east for a prime-time White Out. The bad news is that the rest of the schedule is littered with too many land- mines for PSU to emerge unscathed. USC and Minnesota were near-misses last year. UCLA and Iowa could be the same this year. Nebraska and Indiana won't be easy, either. The best news for Penn State is that it's following the Buckeyes' champi- onship blueprint. Losing a couple of regular-season games would set up a much-needed break during the week of the Big Ten Championship Game while still assuring a CFP berth and a shot at a national title. For a team being treated this pre- season as more of a powerhouse than it has demonstrated itself to be, this is the most viable path to the mountaintop. Prediction: 10-2 THOMAS FRANK CARR | FOOTBALL ANALYST Penn State has the best setup for its 2025 schedule that it could have pos- sibly hoped for. The Nittany Lions get defending Big Ten champion Oregon af- ter a month-long warmup, at home and in a prime-time White Out. The Ducks will be replacing most of their defense and breaking in a new quarterback on the road. Penn State has to travel to Colum- bus this year, which is no doubt a place where other postseason chances have gone to die. Yet in this instance, the Nittany Lions will have two months to study new Ohio State coordinators Brian Hartline and Matt Patricia to un- derstand the team's tendencies. Penn State has a senior quarterback, and most of its offense is back. In addi- tion, it has brought in the nation's top defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, to help shore up a good but uneven unit from last year. This is the year Penn State gets it done. Prediction: 12-0 SEAN FITZ | WEBSITE PUBLISHER Both hopes and expectations have aligned for Penn State in 2025, as the Nittany Lions' retention efforts after a final four run last season have led to one of the nation's most talented ros- ters. There are still some holes — this is college football after all — but James Franklin's squad is primed to be favored in every matchup but one heading into the season. A sour taste from the way the last one ended shouldn't hurt, ei- ther. What's interesting about this team is that it may be the offense that will carry the Nittany Lions this time around. Penn State's defense is still good, and Jim Knowles seems to be an upgrade from Tom Allen calling the plays, but depth questions on that side of the ball will have to be ironed out over what could be a long season. Buoyed by what will likely be one of the nation's top rushing attacks, Penn PICKING PENN STATE'S 2025 REGULAR-SEASON RECORD Quarterback Drew Allar (15) leads the Nittany Lions into the 2025 season with the team looking to contend for the Big Ten and national championships. PHOTO BY JARED FREED/PENN STATE ATHLETICS