The Penn State Nittany Lions were crippled by NCAA sanctions over the course the last couple seasons thanks to the Jerry Sandusky incidents. However, the NCAA reversed its bowl ban on PSU last season just in time for James Franklin to return this team to respectability in his first season on the job. Growth is very possible in 2015.
2015 SCHEDULE
9/5: at Temple
9/12: vs. Buffalo
9/19: vs. Rutgers
9/26: vs. San Diego State
10/3: vs. Army
10/10: vs. Indiana
10/17: at Ohio State
10/24: at Maryland
10/31: vs. Illinois
11/7: at Northwestern
11/21: vs. Michigan
11/28: at Michigan State
The Nittany Lions are probably still a year away from being legitimate Big Ten contenders, if for no other reason the fact that both Ohio State and Michigan State have to be played on the road.
Aside from those two games though, it's really tough to find a game in which Penn State won't be favored. This is a disgustingly pathetic non-conference schedule, and anything less than a 6-0 start to the season would be a tremendous disappointment. Going 5-1 though, would still be realistic.
SEASON WIN TOTAL
A season win total of 7.5 feels like it should be about right for a team which went 6-6 last season. Franklin was able to turn Vanderbilt into a respectable program with absolutely no resources to work with; it's only a matter of time until he brings a program rich in history, tradition and resources back to the foreground of the Big Ten, and this could be the year that happens.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
The numbers aren't pretty for Christian Hackenberg, but he's got a legitimate NFL arm and will have pro prospects watching him all season long. He'll have to improve upon his TD/INT ratio (12/15 last season) and his completion percentage (55.8), but the skills are there for him to be fantastic.
DaeSean Hamilton had a big first season in Happy Valley, catching 82 passes for 899 yards, and he figures to be an All-Big Ten performer for the second straight season this year.
A total of nine starters are back from last year's offense, and that doesn't even include Akeel Lynch, who more or less split carries with Bill Belton.
DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Very quietly, Penn State finished last season ranked in the Top 10 in total defense, rush defense, pass defense and scoring defense.
The man who makes this defense go, Anthony Zettel came back for his senior season to help bring Penn State back to superiority. This defense is still relatively young around him with just three senior starters, but there is a ton of experience in terms of games started on this side of the ball.
SEASON PREDICTION
Sure, Penn State isn't going to win the Big Ten this year at 20 to 1, nor is it contending for a spot in the CFB with 100 to 1 odds to win the National Championship.
However, this is a team which could be ranked in the Top 10 in America a month and a half into the season. Going 10-2 is entirely possible, though more realistically, the Nittany Lions will end with eight or nine wins.
Hackenberg is the key. He's considered a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate this year in spite of the fact that he has significantly more interceptions than touchdowns thrown in his career, which is something you really don't see on a yearly basis in college football. His ceiling could see him throw 30 TDs against just six or seven picks. His floor though, is still fairly low.
Still, there's more than enough to beat this regular season win total though, and getting to another bowl game and finishing the year ranked in the Top 25 would be a massive accomplishment for Franklin and the Nittany Lions.
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