The college football offseason is almost over as we are halfway through July. The season will get going in about a month and a half, and college football fans everywhere are eager for the new beginning. College football fever is rampant across the country as we get closer to the season, but also because of the new EA Sports NCAA 25 video game that just came out last Monday. All in all, it’s an exciting time to be a college football fan, and one fan base that is excited for the season is Penn State football fans. The Nittany Lions have a big season ahead of them.
This college football season is going to be a big one for a number of reasons. The sport is going through big changes, and some of those changes are going to be seen for the first time this season. Let’s take a look at what some of them are.
First off, there are going to be some new rules seen this year in college football, and some fans aren’t really in favor of them. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of the two-minute warning. Fans have already started getting sick at all of the commercials that are happening in today’s era of college football, and the two-minute warning is another way for tv networks to get more commercial times in.
The bigger changes, however, come with conference realignment and the expanded College Football Playoff. College football is going to look completely different next year because of those two things. California schools playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference? Yeah, things are changing.
Conference realignment has shaken things up big time in college football. The power five is no longer a thing as the Pac-12 is essentially dead. Every team left for a new conference except for Oregon State and Washington State. Those two teams have scheduling alliances with the Mountain West.
Every other Pac-12 school found a new home. Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State are now in the Big 12. Oregon, Oregon State, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten. Lastly, Cal and Stanford joined the ACC (makes a ton of sense, right?).
The other big change with conferences comes in the SEC. Oklahoma and Texas are both leaving the Big 12 and they will join the SEC. The Big Ten and the SEC are loaded with good teams and seem on the verge of forming two super conferences.
This season, we will also see 12 teams make the College Football Playoff. For about a month, the College Football Playoff will be happening. Some people aren’t in favor of the big expansion, but there will be more marquee college football games, and it’s hard to be too upset about that.
All in all, this is going to be one of the biggest college football seasons of all time. The game is changing, and this is the start of a new era.
Can Penn State win the Big Ten this year?
James Franklin has done a good job as the head coach of the Penn State football team, but the last eight years have been filled with near misses. The Nittany Lions took a huge step forward in 2016 when they won the Big Ten championship, but after two losses early in the season, the Nittany Lions still weren't able to get in to the College Football Playoff. Ever since then, the Nittany Lions have been very good, but not as good as Michigan and Ohio State.
In the four team College Football Playoff era, it was very difficult to make the CFP if you weren't the best team in your conference. The Nittany Lions were never the best team in their conference. Even in 2016 when they won the conference, Ohio State made the CFP over them and they lost to Michigan by 39 points. They were the third best team in the conference.
Now, Penn State can keep their 10-2 trend going and get into the College Football Playoff. They don't need to be the best team in the conference now. They can lose two or maybe even three games and find a way in. This could be the year that the Nittany Lions finally get into the CFP.
Penn State doesn't need to win the Big Ten to get into the College Football Playoff, but winning the conference crown is the goal for this team. Here are three reasons why the Nittany Lions can come out on top.
Balanced offense
Last year, the Penn State defense was good enough to win the Big Ten, but their offense didn't hold up their end of the bargain in their biggest games. Against Michigan and Ohio State, the defense was stagnant and couldn't get anything going. This year, they are returning a lot of talented guys on that side of the ball. They have the potential to be really good, but they have to show up when the lights are brightest. With Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Julian Fleming, Kaden Saunders, Tyler Warren and more, the Nittany Lions should be able to have a good, balanced attack.
Championship defense
Penn State football had one of the best defenses in college football last year. That unit certainly wasn't the problem, and it shouldn't be a problem this year either. They did lose some of their top players to the NFL, but this side of the ball is still loaded with talent, and they should definitely have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten. If they can have a similar year to last year and their offense shows up in the big games, they can go far.
Schedule
Penn State lucked out big time with their schedule compared to some other teams. The biggest threats to them in terms of conference title contenders are Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon. The Nittany Lions don't have to play the Wolverines or the Ducks, and they get Ohio State at home. Even if they lose to the Buckeyes, they should be favored in all other Big Ten games and could get into the Big Ten title game with an 11-1 record. Their schedule shapes up nicely for a run.
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