No team in college football other than USC made a sharper in-season turnaround in 2016 than the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions now hope that they can start a season in dominant form and carry that through the whole of their 2017 season. If they can, they can snag the College Football Playoff berth which barely evaded their grasp last season.
How Did They End 2016
Penn State lost its postseason game, the Rose Bowl, to USC, but it seemed laughable that Penn State could reach the Rose Bowl after September. The Nittany Lions’ defense was destroyed in losses to Pittsburgh and Michigan. The team was a mess. Coach James Franklin seemed to be lacking answers in his attempt to restore glory to PSU football. Then, quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley decided to take over. The two men played as well as a quarterback and running back could play. Receivers such as Chris Godwin began to make high-level catches in traffic. The offense, under new coordinator Joe Moorhead, became a force far greater and more potent than anyone in college football anticipated. As soon as Penn State beat Ohio State thanks to a blocked kick and some other wild plays, the offense took off and never truly slowed down. The Rose Bowl defeat wasn’t the offense’s fault. McSorley and Barkley, with help from their amazing receivers, scored 49 points on USC. The rally to the Big Ten championship – won with a furious second-half comeback against Wisconsin – made this season one of the most memorable in Penn State history. Now the team will try to build on it this season and take the next step to the playoff.
Offseason Changes
Chris Godwin is out at receiver, plus there are multiple losses in the secondary. Penn State still has a number of good receivers coming back, but none were better than Godwin was last season. Will the Nittany Lions be as effective with Godwin not on the roster? The jury is out.
Defense is a bigger concern, as the Rose Bowl showed. New recruits on defense – freshmen asked to go right into the fire – will need to learn a lot in September before the Big Ten Conference season begins.
Team X-Factor
The defensive front and specifically the pass rush after the Rose Bowl loss must help out the depleted secondary and set a new tone for the defense. Ohio State struggled against Penn State last year, and that’s because the Lions got a lot of pressure on him. If that same pass rush shows up this year against the Buckeyes, Penn State could win the game which would mean a playoff berth in 2017.
What To Expect From The Nittany Lions This Year
One should expect a ton of points from the offense and a lot of points surrendered by the defense. As long as the offense does its job, though, the defense does not need to be great – merely okay. As long as the defense doesn’t collapse, this team should win a lot.
Record Last 5 Seasons
2016: 11-3
2015: 7-6
2014: 7-6
2013: 7-5
2012: 8-4
Schedule and Outlook
The Nittany Lions have a relatively easy start to the schedule with at least three games they should win right off the bat. They host Akron, Pittsburgh and Georgia State in the first three weeks and there is no reason to expect a loss in any of those contests. After that, they’ll go to Iowa, which will be their first test of the season, and then they’ll play at Northwestern two weeks last, which is also a game they could lose. Then they’ll host Michigan and go to Ohio State in back-to-back weeks, which will define their season. They also have a road trip to Michigan State but the Spartans aren’t nearly as strong as they’ve been in recent years.
The Ohio State game will be very tough, and the Michigan game won’t be a breeze, but Michigan will be a young team with an unproven defense, perfect for McSorley and Barkley. Penn State should be able to get to 10 wins, if not 11.
Regular Season Win Total Prediction: Over 9.5
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