Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
the
1930s. Then in 2011 came the scan-
dal, which led to the sanctions, which in
turn led to three mediocre seasons in
which the Lions went 22-15. In the :rst
four years of the current decade, they
have won at a 62 percent clip.
For those of us who are old enough to
remember the program's golden era, it's
not so di=cult to put the recent strug-
gles into a broader context that takes
into account historical trends. We as-
sume
that while there's going to be some
deviation from the norm, history will
repeat itself because this is college foot-
ball we're talking about, and no major
sport has a more :rmly established hier-
archy than college football. But today's
high school prospects don't have the
bene:t of that perspective. When Penn
State completed its most recent unde-
feated season with a 38-20 rout of Ore-
gon in the 1995 Rose Bowl, Trevor
Williams
was 16 months old.
But they're the ones whose views mat-
ter most, and that's why Penn State fans
should feel heartened to hear players talk
unabashedly about going to New Year's
Day bowls and playing for champi-
onships. While that kind of sky-high op-
timism may not re;ect the consensus of
the preseason football magazines, it's a
reminder that Penn State still has the ca-
pacity to dream big.
TIM
OWEN
ASSISTANT
EDITOR
It's always nice being close to home,
and in 2015, the Nittany Lions will not
be leaving friendly con:nes for a month
and a half. Playing its :rst six games
within the borders of Pennsylvania – its
only away game during that span will
take place just down the turnpike in the
City of Brotherly Love – Penn State will
enjoy its renowned home-:eld advan-
tage throughout the :rst half of the year.
The optimist in me sees that helping li>
PSU to a run of six consecutive wins; the
realist sees a few potential road blocks –
Temple, Rutgers and Indiana, to be spe-
ci:c – and a PSU team still relying on an
incoming wave of young, relatively un-
proven talent. Six-and-0 is possible,
probably expected, but 5-1 might be a
little more likely.
The Lions will need to amass as many
early wins as they can, as the latter half
of the season is back-loaded with teams
that defeated them last year, beginning
with defending national champ Ohio
State. Escaping out the back of the sea-
son 3-3 is possible, but only if PSU's
young core of talent is able to provide
the necessary depth. With all but two of
the :nal six games on the road and a
late-November home :nale vs. Jim Har-
baugh and Michigan, anything more
than two late-season wins ought to be
considered a bonus.
PREDICTION 8-4
LOU
PRATO
CONTRIBUTING
WRITER
Trying to predict the regular-season
record for the 2015 Nittany Lions is like
driving through the fog on a familiar
country road. Just when it looks like the
fog is li>ing, another thick mist appears
that impedes your progress. Penn State's
favorable schedule is a road map to some
success, but as the drive begins, there is
too much fog surrounding the o