CSD MAG TEASER: What’s a reasonable expectation for Penn State?

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After what was arguably the greatest week one in college football history, week two seemed disappointing to most people in 2016. College Gameday was at Bristol Motor Speedway to see Tennessee beat Virginia Tech by 20+, but something happened that week in Pennsylvania. Pitt eeked out a three point win at home over Penn State. Most people thought the major implications of that were James Franklin’s seat getting hotter. But looking back, that three point loss, in what was a boring week two changed the entire season. Had Saquon Barkley and company been able to flip that final score, we would be looking at a different playoff, a different Rose Bowl, heck, maybe Penn State would’ve beaten Clemson in the semifinal and we would have a different champion. James Franklin isn’t on the hot seat anymore, the Nittany Lions ended the season on a tear, won the Big . So we’ll ask the question, what is a reasonable expectation for Penn State in 2017?

The Nittany Lions return sixteen starters, most in the Big Ten (tied with Northwestern) and they will probably come into the season ranked somewhere from 6th to 8th. Penn State will also almost definitely be the #2 ranked team from the Big Ten. Most likely behind Ohio State, and above Michigan and Wisconsin. PSU returns quarterback Trace McSorley and Heisman contending running back Saquon Barkley, which could be the best backfield in the Big Ten. They will have to find a new top target for McSorley now that Chris Godwin is off to the NFL, but DeAndre Thompkins or DaeSean Hamilton could fill that hole. A bigger concern for the Nittany Lions is the front seven. Against the prolific offenses in the Big Ten, the front seven needs to improve if they want to repeat as Big Ten Champions.

Penn State will almost certainly be in the playoff talk this year, they finished the season ranked 6th in my rankings (how can you put them ahead of Michigan like the committee did when they lost to Michigan by 39.) I dropped them to 7th after the bowl loss, but going from hot seat to seventh is a pretty big leap, and only eight teams in the country return more starters then PSU, and none of those teams are in the national championship hunt. So, getting back to the original question: What is a reasonable expectation for Penn State in 2017? Anything worse than a New Year’s Six appearance would surprise me, and a playoff spot for the Nittany Lions is a very real possibility.