In his 11th season as head coach, James Franklin finally got over the hump and led Penn State to the 2024-2025 College Football Playoffs. Returning one of the most experienced teams in the country, the Nittany Lions enter the new season as title contenders and the favorite to win the Big 10. With everything seemingly aligning for them, here are our 2025 Penn State football bold predictions.
Although the Nittany Lions won a program record 13 games in 2024, they still fell two games short of their preseason goals. Their eight-point loss to Oregon in the Big 10 Championship Game prevented Franklin's first conference title, and they came up just shy in the playoffs, losing to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals.
The two postseason losses pushed Penn State to No. 4 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The top-five finish marked the program's best end-of-year ranking since 2005, but it still left fans feeling shortchanged. The biggest knock of Franklin's career has been his inability to win big games, which was true yet again in 2024. After 11 years in State College, Franklin is 1-9 against Ohio State.
Regardless of the mishaps, Penn State enters the 2025 college football season with the second-best odds to win the national championship, depending on the sportsbook. The Nittany Lions are on par with defending champions Ohio State as favorites to win the Big 10.
If there was ever a year that Franklin would get over the hump, it would be in 2025. Penn State has as favorable a schedule as a team can possibly have in the Big 10 and has no reason not to return to the College Football Playoffs. Before they begin conference play, we will break down our 2025 Penn State football bold predictions.
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Drew Allar ends season as Penn State's all-time passing leader
When the 2024 season ended, Drew Allar could have easily entered his name into the NFL Draft. He was not projected to be a first-round pick, but Allar likely would have heard his name called on day two.
Instead, Allar opted to return for his senior season and chase a national championship. In doing so, he has a chance to become the greatest quarterback in Penn State history. As wild as that statement sounds, considering the wealth of talent the program has had at the position, Allar is already knocking on the door.
Entering the 2025 college football season, Allar is Penn State's sixth all-time leading passer with 6,302 passing yards. He needs 4,359 more yards to match Sean Clifford at the top. That number is difficult to reach at the college level, but not out of reach for a player of Allar's caliber.
In the current era with the expanded College Football Playoffs, Penn State could play up to 17 games in 2025. They would have reached that number in 2024 had they beaten Notre Dame and advanced to the National Championship Game. If they won the Big 10 title, the Nittany Lions would likely be in line for a first-round bye, but even 16 games is more than most previous teams in school history had.
Assuming he stays healthy, playing 16 games would require Allar to throw 266.1 passing yards per game in 2025 to match Clifford's record. Penn State has been a run-dominant team under Franklin, but that is a very reasonable goal for Allar.
With just three matchups against preseason ranked opponents in the regular season, Penn State could be in line for a handful of blowouts in 2025. Allar would need at least a few teams to be surprisingly competitive to have a shot at breaking the record. But if the Nittany Lions have any hope of winning a national championship, their fate lies on his arm.
Penn State leads nation in scoring
Few teams will have more offensive firepower than Penn State in 2025. Not only does Allar return as arguably the best quarterback in the country, but a legitimate case can be made that the Nittany Lions also have the best backfield and receiving corps in the FBS.
Along with Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen returned to the team. Both topped 1,000 yards in 2024 and are two of the best running backs in the Big 10. Neither was draft eligible, but either could have received significant compensation in the transfer portal if they decided to take that route.
Penn State's receiving corps was one of the only position groups that raised significant questions entering the offseason, with its top three receivers all leaving. James Franklin resoundingly addressed the issue in the transfer portal, adding former USC receiver Kyron Hudson and former Syracuse wideout Trebor Pena.
If that was not enough, Penn State also works behind one of the best offensive line units in the country, with four starters returning in 2025. They need to remain healthy, but this blocking unit is the clear favorite to win the 2025 Joe Moore Award. The rich just continue to get richer.
Penn State will have to face Ohio State on the road again, but the Buckeyes are just one of two elite defenses it will face in the regular season. Oregon will be the Nittany Lions' first true test in Week 5, but they otherwise avoid all other daunting Big 10 matchups.
If college football operated like the NFL, Penn State would not be able to afford its current offensive personnel. With a case to be made for each individual position group as the best in the nation, no other team can even argue that it has a better offense on paper.
Penn State blows out Ohio State on road in Week 10
The biggest indicator of success for Penn State will come in Week 10. The Nittany Lions walk into the Horseshoe on Nov. 1 to face Ohio State, against whom they have consistently struggled in the last decade.
Beating Ohio State is not mandatory to win a Big 10 title. Penn State lost that game in 2024 and still wound up in the conference championship game and the College Football Playoffs. It has just gotten to the point where it is a crucial must-win game for the Nittany Lions in the middle of the season.
Penn State might not need the win for its championship aspirations, but James Franklin certainly does. If Franklin falls short of a national title in 2025 but beats Ohio State, fans might be willing to overlook it. But if the Nittany Lions go 10-2 with another loss to the Buckeyes, fed-up fans might be calling for his job at the end of the year.
If the early season goes the way both teams hope, all eyes will be on Columbus in Week 10. Penn State will not only get over the elusive Ohio State hurdle in 2025, but it will pass the test with flying colors.
As good as the Nittany Lions' offense is, their defense is arguably just as potent. Even without Abdul Carter, this pass-rush is still elite and will be in Julian Sayin's face all night. Ohio State does not have the same offensive firepower in 2025 as it did in 2024, and this Penn State defense, which led the Big 10 with 20 interceptions in 2024, will be a real problem.
Come Week 10, Penn State will dominate Ohio State in all facets of the game and force skeptical fans to view it as the clear-cut best team in the country.
Penn State wins Big 10, 2025 College Football Playoffs
Beating Ohio State would be a nice add-on, but it is not Penn State's goal in the 2025 college football season. The Nittany Lions' veterans returned to State College to win a national championship, and they will finally achieve that goal.
Much has been made about the similarities between Penn State's 2025 team and Ohio State's 2024 team. They are a bit overstated at this point, but still too coincidental to ignore. After Michigan won the national title in 2023, the Buckeyes returned a plethora of veterans while adding key transfers —a formula Franklin followed to a tee in the offseason.
In the current era of college football, retention and chemistry are often underrated values of successful teams. Michigan and Ohio State claimed the last two titles with an abundance of homegrown veteran talent, a characteristic that Penn State also boasts in 2025.
Franklin returns 16 starters in 2025, including eight on offense. That retention rate is almost unheard of in the current era of college sports, even for successful teams.
Had a few plays gone the other way, Penn State could have been the 2025 National Champions. They are too talented a team not to match at least match its 2024 success. The Nittany Lions will make it back to the Big 10 Championship Game and claim the trophy before reaching the pinnacle of college football in January 2026.
