The Penn State Nittany Lions finished with an 11-1 record during the 2024 college football season in the regular season. Penn State was in the BIG10 Championship game last season against the Oregon Ducks, but they lost.
The Nittany Lions made it to the expanded college football playoffs and won two games before losing to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals. This was a step in the right direction for the football program. Head coach James Franklin is looking to get his squad back to the national spotlight this season. Will Penn State win the BIG10 Conference in 2025?
College Football Analyst Thinks the Penn State Nittany Lions Will Be the Favorites To Win the BIG10 Conference
Scott Dochterman of The Athletic wrote about the BIG10 Conference media day and has his insights about the upcoming college football season in the conference. He believes that the Nittany Lions are going to be the favorites in the conference as the season begins. Dochterman said,
“The league’s 2024 runners-up return impact starters at every major position group. Quarterback Drew Allar threw for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns last year, while running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen each ran for more than 1,000 yards. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and defensive tackle Zane Durant each posted more than eight tackles for loss.
Penn State, which advanced to the CFP semifinals, is hardly an overwhelming favorite. The perpetual losses to Ohio State (eight straight) and Franklin’s record against top-five opponents (1-15) keep the Nittany Lions from a hearty endorsement. However, no team is better on paper.
“That was bittersweet, just watching (the national title game), knowing how close we were to being in that game, it was fuel to the fire,” said Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley. “We kind of got a taste of it. So now I think we’re all hungry.””
Three of the biggest games for Penn State during the regular season will be against the Oregon Ducks and the Indiana Hoosiers at home and also the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road. Will this finally be the year Penn State will beat Ohio State once again? The Buckeyes have owned that game over the last several seasons and they are also the defending champions.
Franklin struggles with Ryan Day for some odd reason. Penn State might have the most returning talent this season. Allar might be the best quarterback in the BIG10 conference. This could be why the Nittany Lions have the edge over the Buckeyes and the Ducks in this regard.
However, if Penn State does not win the BIG10 Conference, there will be many questions about the program unless they make another deep postseason run. If they don’t make the playoffs or if they do make it and flame out early, Franklin could potentially be looking for a different head coaching job elsewhere.
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