College football Week 1 continues on Saturday afternoon. Penn State football is one of the top teams in the nation, and they open their season by hosting Nevada. They are currently ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and expect to make another run to the College Football Playoff. While this is not the biggest game on the Week 1 slate, there are bold predictions to be made.
Expectations are not high for Nevada in its second year under head coach Jeff Choate. They opened the 2024 season on a fairly strong note. It was a 3-4 start, with a win on the road over Troy and knocking off Oregon State at home. Still, they would lose each of their last six games and finish the year with a 3-10 record. They also lost a plethora of players in the portal, sitting third to last in the Mountain West in returning production, according to Bill Connelly of ESPN. They are also 126th in the nation in returning production this year.
Meanwhile, Penn State has the opposite expectations. Penn State expects to contend in the College Football Playoff this season. They made a CFP run in 2024. After an 11-1 regular season, they would fall in the Big Ten Championship Game to Oregon. Still, they would get a playoff berth. After wins over SMU and Boise State, the season would end in the semifinals against Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl. Now, they look to take it a step further in 2025.
Drew Allar begins his Heisman Trophy campaign
Quarterback Drew Allar enters the season tied for fifth in odds to win the Heisman Trophy. He will start his campaign to win the trophy strongly in 2025. It starts with the offensive line. It is loaded with top-end talent that will give Allar plenty of time to pass. Meanwhile, he has a great one-two punch in the backfield with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Both of them can come out of the backfield and catch the ball.
He did lose one of his biggest weapons, as Tyler Warren is off to the NFL. Still, they have Khalil Dinkins and Luke Reynolds, who will be able to step in. Both have shown pass-catching ability, and while they will not fully replace Warren, they should be solid assets in the passing game. The wide receiving group could be amazing.
Two of the top receivers have transferred away, but they loaded up in the portal. Kyron Hudson joins the team from USC after hauling in 38 receptions for 462 yards and three scores. Devote Ross joins the team from Troy after having 1,043 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024. Finally, Trebor Pena joins the team from Syracuse after a 941-yard season with nine scores. The trio of receivers will prop up Allar this year.
Adding to the help will be Allar getting to fade a bad Nevada defense. The pass rush is almost non-existent, and the secondary struggles to stay in coverage. Allar will have as many passing yards and touchdowns as James Franklin will allow him to. He may not play the entire game if Penn State builds a massive lead, but it will be a great first game for Allar.
Chubba Purdy shows off his legs
Nevada football got good news as quarterback Chubba Purdy decided to return instead of going into the transfer portal. Purdy will now be in his sixth season of college football, after two years at Florida State, two at Nebraska, and last year at Nevada. While he is entering his sixth season, he does not have a ton of experience. He has played in just 23 games with six starts in his career so far.
Nevada lost their top receivers last year, but Jordan Brown comes in from Texas Tech, and Marcus Bellon returns on the outside. Nate Burleson II will also provide some flash plays. Still, this offense is going to be focused on the ground game. The top offensive lineman, Isaiah World, transferred out, but Andrew Madrigal and Josh Grabowski will be the focal point of the line. Both of them are better run blockers than pass blockers overall.
Herschel Turner is expected to be the primary back this year, and he averaged over five yards per carry last year at Utah State. Still, it will be the legs of Purdy that will keep drives alive. The Penn State defense is stacked, so his creativity is going to be on full display. He has averaged over four yards per carry in his college career, and his numbers have often been stifled by sacks. Further, Purdy has had runs longer than 60 yards in three of his five seasons so far. He may not get a 60-yarder in this one, but expect a few big runs for the Wolfpack quarterback.
Penn State flexes its muscles
Odds at the time of writing, provided by FanDuel, have Penn State as a 43.5-point favorite in this game. Penn State is one of the best teams in the nation and has one of the deepest rosters. They can easily cover this spread if they choose to. The first three games of the schedule are all warm-ups for the team. Not only do they have Nevada in Week 1, but they get FIU and Villanova at home after. Then, in Week 4, they will host Oregon.
Penn State has a lot of players returning on both sides of the ball, but they need to work on a few things in this game. Allar will be working with a brand new receiving core, and will get plenty of chances to gel with them in this game. Meanwhile, Jim Knowles has joined the coaching staff of the team as the defensive coordinator. The fact that they are breaking in a new defensive scheme may keep the starting unit on the field deeper into the game. This is a chance for the Nittany Lions to show that they belong in the national conversation, even if it is against a weak opponent. They will do just that.
