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Analyst Predicts Penn State to Have Best Record in Big Ten

It all begins for James Franklin and Penn State today.

The college football season began for a few teams last weekend, but the majority of programs begin their journey towards the College Football Playoff Saturday. 

As Penn State approaches kickoff against Nevada, the program once again is receiving national attention.

On3 podcaster Josh Pate has predicted Penn State to have the best record in the Big Ten.

In his 2025 Big Ten win/loss predictions, Pate pairs Penn State with Oregon as two 11-1 teams in the conference.

Pate surprisingly picked Ohio State and Nebraska to both go 10-2. The total feels low for the Buckeyes and high for the Cornhuskers, who many national pundits are starting to buy into the hype behind.

Ohio State sits No. 3 in the AP Poll. Nebraska is unranked. The Nittany Lions slot No. 2 and received 23 first-place votes, two shy of Texas (25) for the top spot.

Pate believes Penn State will win the conference and be the No. 1 seed in the CFP. 

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Penn State has all the talent and experience to win a national championship with Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Nick Dawkins, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant, Tony Rojas, Dom DeLuca, Zakee Wheatley, and others back this year.

The Nittany Lions paid defensive coordinator Jim Knowles over $3 million to leave Ohio State for his childhood team, and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki bypassed a potential head coaching opportunity to stay for a second season under James Franklin. 

The 2025 season begins on Saturday, hosting the Nevada Wolfpack at 3:30 p.m. in Happy Valley.

“To the teams I doubted: prove me wrong,” Pate said on X. “To the teams I believe in: DO NOT embarrass me.” 

Pate’s full record predictions: 

  • Penn State (11-1)
  • Oregon (11-1)
  • Ohio State (10-2)
  • Nebraska (10-2)
  • USC (9-3)
  • Michigan (8-4)
  • Illinois (8-4)
  • Indiana (8-4)
  • Washington (8-4)
  • Iowa (7-5)
  • Minnesota (7-5)
  • Michigan State (6-6)
  • Rutgers (6-6)
  • Wisconsin (5-7)
  • Maryland (4-8)
  • UCLA (4-8)
  • Northwestern (3-9)
  • Purdue (3-9)

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