Nearly three months to the day of the release of his Post-Spring Top-25, Joel Klatt released his Preseason Top-25 on Monday. However, all through the summer, Klatt’s top team didn’t change coming into kickoff this fall. Klatt shared his ranking during the latest episode of his show this morning. At the end of it, Penn […]
Nearly three months to the day of the release of his Post-Spring Top-25, Joel Klatt released his Preseason Top-25 on Monday. However, all through the summer, Klatt’s top team didn’t change coming into kickoff this fall.
Klatt shared his ranking during the latest episode of his show this morning. At the end of it, Penn State was revealed still as the No. 1 team in college football for him going into this season, specifically due to the similarities they have with the past two national title winners also out of the Big Ten.
“My number one team in the country, as it was to end the spring, is going to be Penn State,” Klatt stated.
“I’m huge on blueprints, folks. You know this. And, in the last two years, we have seen the blueprint that goes out there and wins the national championship,” explained Klatt. “That is an experienced team with an experienced quarterback with a lot of guys that come back. They spurn the NFL. They come back, there’s a chip on their shoulder. There’s a tough loss in their rearview mirror. And they go out there, they right the ship, and they get it done. That’s Penn State.”
With that, Penn State checks a lot of those boxes with what all they brought back from one of the best seasons in school history at 13-3 overall with an appearance in the Big Ten Championship and making their debut, and going on to reach the semifinals, in the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions return several starters, namely in their offensive backfield and around their defense, while also making some changes of note, especially at defensive coordinator and wide receiver.
“You’ve got (QB) Drew Allar returning. Both running backs – Kaytron Allen, Nick Singleton – back. Four guys on the offensive line back. You’ve got defensive players all over, including Dani Dennis-Sutton, back. I love that,” said Klatt. “They brought in Jim Knowles at defensive coordinator. Now Andy Kotelnicki, the offensive coordinator, is going to be in year two.”
“They brought in three wide receivers. This was their major problem last year, is that their wide receivers were not close to good enough. They brought in three of them. They’re all going to be solid,” Klatt continued. “Kyron Hudson from USC. Trebor Pena, the All-ACC slot receiver, from Syracuse. Devonte Ross, the All-Sun Belt receiver, from Troy. All those guys are an upgrade, and specifically Pena. I loved him at Syracuse.”
So, after all that, Penn State has one thing left in its way that’ll follow them all season long. In order to justify this rating, and go on to compete for conference and national titles this season, the Nittany Lions, led by James Franklin, will need to end the storyline around them of their record in big-time games against quality opponents, which is something they still haven’t fully done consistently yet face-to-face with a team of their caliber or better.
“The big question is, can James Franklin get over the hump of those big games?” Klatt asked. “They’re going to have Oregon at home. They’ve got to go to Ohio State. They’re probably going to play for the Big Ten title again. They’re going to be in CFP games. And, last year, as good as the season was, they weren’t able to get over that hump. They didn’t beat Ohio State. They didn’t beat Oregon. Their two playoffs wins were against SMU and Boise (State), then they get beat by Notre Dame.”
“They’re going to have to match up with someone that they are maybe not as good as or similar to and beat them, which we haven’t seen from Penn State over the last few years and that will be their question,” said Klatt. “That will be their number one question. That’ll be their question now. That’ll be their question in September…Every time they get that chance, that will be the question for James Franklin and my number one team in the country, the Penn State Nittany Lions.”
This is a season that they’ve been waiting for in University Park. It’s now on this team at Penn State, entering it as one of the top overall teams in the entire sport, to live up to that this year, based on all expectations, both in the Big Ten and back in the CFP.
Category: General Sports
