Penn State reached the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024 as a No. 6 seed.
On3 analyst Andy Staples projected the 12-team field this week and ranked PSU as the No. 2 seed in his bracket, thus winning the Big Ten and being the highest-ranked team in the conference.
He also predicted Penn State to have the most crushing end. Staples mocked the Nittany Lions to have a first-round bye, but lose to No. 7 seed Georgia in the CFP quarterfinals and will drop their first and only game.
On3’s Ari Wasserman also slotted Penn State as a No. 2 seed in his projections, but winning a New Year’s Six game and losing again in the semifinals. Staples picked Texas to win the national championship.
PSU reached the Big Ten championship game (Oregon) and won the Fiesta Bowl (Boise State) before losing a heartbreaker to Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions fell one game short of reaching the national championship.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, four starting offensive linemen, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, defensive tackle Zane Durant, safety Zakee Wheatley, and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki are all back with James Franklin, looking to make a historic run.
Penn State was aggressive in the portal and added transfer receivers Kyron Hudson (USC), Devonte Ross (Troy), and Trebor Pena (Syracuse) to a revamped WR room. PSU’s top two receivers, Harrison Wallace and Omari Evans, both found new teams through the winter transfer portal.
Staples has three Big Ten teams clinching a bid in his field, including Ohio State (No. 5) and Oregon (No. 8).
Penn State hosts Nevada on August 30 at 3:30 p.m. at Beaver Stadium to start the 2025 season. PSU hasn’t won a national championship since 1986 and been undefeated since 1994.
