by Penn State OVER 9.5 Wins (-140)
Confidence Level: 10/10
This is my most confident team win total lock of the preseason. If Penn State is going to have a shot at defeating either Michigan or Ohio State again, this is the year.
So, in case you’re asking, “what’s up with all this PSU hype?”
This is the most complete team James Franklin has had since that 2016 Big-10 title squad with McSorley, Barkley, and crew. He just might have his best quarterback yet too. Out goes Sean Clifford and in comes former five-star Drew Allar, who has been the most talked about player in State College for about a year now… and he hasn’t even started a game yet. Allar is now the face of the program and will be the engine of the Penn State offense assuming he lives up to the hype and isn’t a jinx. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen feature one of the most electrifying backfields in the country and the o-line is filled with veterans and legit NFL talent.
Defensively, this team should be rock solid once again under the wing of Manny Diaz. They have elite players at each level – Chop Robinson in the trenches, future first round pick Abdul Carter at OLB, and preseason All-American Kalen King at corner. PSU did lose Joey Porter Jr. and leading tackler Ji’Ayir Brown, but not a ton of production will be missed for a defense that led the conference in sacks, TFL, and red zone efficiency, and finished 16th in the nation in total D.
With a ton of returning talent comes a schedule that is very favorable down the stretch. The non-conference slate is weak (biggest threat it WVU), seven games are at home, including Michigan (should be the white out but thank Big Noon Kickoff for that), and their only true tough road game is at the Horseshoe on October 21st.
As long as they avoid any fluke losses throughout the season, I don’t see a world where this team finishes worse than 10-2. There’s elite talent on both sides of the ball, Franklin is a better coach than people give him credit for, and there’s a certain energy brewing in Happy Valley right now that is special. The odds aren’t sexy (-140) but hammer the over while you still can. #WEARE