With Week 1 of the college football season upon us, it is time to see if the preseason hype is real for a lot of teams around the country.
One of those programs is No. 2 Penn State, which enters the season as a legitimate national championship contender in the eyes of many, primarily due to an experienced quarterback in Drew Allar, a strong offensive line and one of the best running back duos in the nation.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. was on Thursday’s edition of “Get Up” and made it clear that Allar and the Nittany Lions are his favorites to win it all.
“This team, they’re my national championship pick. I think you look at Drew Allar, that whole team period,” Kiper said. “He looks the part. He’s going back (for his senior season), smart move to go back. Now he has receivers who can get open. Keep in mind, final four games of last year, he was below 60% (completions). That’s gonna get separation. The new wide receivers and the two young tight ends as well, a heck of an offensive line and (Nicholas) Singleton and (Kaytron) Allen in that backfield. So, this offense is ready to roll with Drew Allar this year. He could be in line to be a top-10 pick, maybe one of the top two, three picks overall (in the NFL Draft).”
Penn State is certainly getting respect going into the season. The Nittany Lions are tied with Big Ten foe Ohio State for the third-best odds (+700) to win the national championship, per FanDuel.
The 2024 season ended with a 27-24 defeat to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, leaving Penn State with plenty motivation to attain the ultimate prize.
Allar has had a tendency to commit turnovers, but when things are clicking, it is hard to deny his talent. He completed a career-high 66.5% of his throws last season for 3,327 yards and 24 TDs. His QBR (81.6) was tied with Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt for 10th in the country.
While transfer receivers Kyron Hudson, Trebor Pena and Devonte Ross enter the fold for the 2025 season, the team’s leading receiver from last season, tight end Tyler Warren (1,233 yards, eight TDs) is now with the Indianapolis Colts, leaving Allar with plenty new faces around him.
With an experienced offensive line and Singleton and Allen returning for another season, there is a lot to like about Penn State this season. Singleton, who believes “the passing game is going to be more explosive” despite the new faces, has the fifth-most rushing TDs (32) in Penn State history and is 1,021 rush yards from breaking the program’s career rushing record of 3,932 yards, set by Evan Royster.
The only question is going to be whether this Penn State team can do something head coach James Franklin’s teams have seldom accomplished, which is win big games. It hosts No. 7 Oregon on Sept. 27 and goes to No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 1. Those two games could very well determine how far Penn State goes this season.
A lot is expected of this Nittany Lions team. Now it is time to prove it is deserving of all the attention or else, it could be another season full of hype with nothing to show for it.
