The college football season is under 200 days away and not many teams across the country have received the offseason hype that the Penn State Nittany Lions have coming out of the 2022 season.
After going 11-2 this past season thanks to a terrific defense and spectacular backfield, Penn State is expected to be among the country's top teams again in 2023. However, with Drew Allar at quarterback and the program returning much of the talent from this past season, expectations are only going to be higher.
Below, we go over five reasons Penn State could be a College Football Playoff contender in 2023.
1. A favorable schedule
It's not the easiest schedule in the world like Georgia's schedule next year, or really any SEC powerhouse schedule but it's not a terribly difficult one on paper either. They start the season at home against a down West Virginia program before taking on Delaware, September 9. Illinois in week three could be a bit of a trap game for the Nittany Lions but surely one they should win. On paper, they should be 3-0 heading into their showdown against Iowa on Sep 23.
While the Hawkeyes have an improved roster, there will still be plenty of questions surrounding them and their offense as long as Brian Ferentz is calling plays.
That showdown against Iowa will also likely be the White Out as the Nittany Lions' travel to Columbus in October and their game against Michigan is slated to be in November, a daytime White Out? Highly unlikely.
They'll finish September off on the road against Northwestern before having a bye week to open up October.
Following the bye week, they'll take on UMass at home in what should be a blowout and warmup for their key stretch of games following. Heading into their matchup with Ohio State on October 21, there's a pretty high chance they're sitting at 6-0 on the season.
If they are in fact 6-0 at this point, that game against the Buckeyes could very well be a match up between two top-5, top-4 or even top-3 programs. That matchup will also of course be a season-defining one but not necessarily a make or break game.
After Ohio State, the Nittany Lions will take on Indiana at home and travel to Maryland before hosting the Wolverines on November 11 in another season-defining game. After Michigan, they'll finish up the season with Rutgers and Michigan State.
Again, not a terribly easy schedule but a favorable schedule. The toughest set of back-to-back games for Penn State next season will be Illinois and Iowa? James Franklin will take this schedule any day of the week, well, outside of opening up Big Ten play on the road.... again.
As things stand right now, the floor in 2023 should be 10-2 but 11-1 or 12-0 is fully in the realm of possibilities if the Nittany Lions play to their potential and get some breaks to go their way as well.
2. A top-tier defense
Year one of Manny Diaz as Pemn State’s defensive coordinator was an overwhelming success. The Nittany Lions posted a top-10 defense allowing just over 18 points per game and allowed just 323 yards a game.
The defense will lose a few key pieces such as cornerback Joey Porter Jr and defensive tackle PJ Mustipher but they return elite talent across the board as well.
The front seven should be among the nation’s best headlined by names such as defensive ends Dani Denni-Sutton, Adisa Isaac, and Chop Robinson while at linebacker Abdul Carter and Curtis Jacobs, headline what should be a high-quality linebacker room.
The only question among the front seven is if the Nittany Lions could find a potential difference-maker at defensive tackle.
The secondary despite losing one of the country’s best in the aforementioned Joey Porter Jr should be just fine. Detroit native Kalen King may be just as good if not better than Porter Jr while players like Daequan Hardy and Johnny Dixon also return. The Nittany Lions also added to their secondary in the form of North Carolina DB transfer Storm Duck, a second-team All-ACC selection in 2022.
There should be no dip in performance for the Nittany Lions, if anything the defense entering next season has the potential to surpass the 2022 version. If their defense plays to expectations next season, the Nittany Lions will have a national championship-caliber defense.
3. One of the best backfields in the nation
The only backfield in the country that may be able to claim the "best backfield in the country" is in the same division up in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards is as good as they come and they just may be the best, but the duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen might be just as good.
In 2022, the two true freshmen combined for 2,201 yards from scrimmage and 24 touchdowns.
Great numbers for any running back duo but for it to come from a pair of player under 20-years old makes it all the more impressive. The two tailbacks are only going to get better this offseason and with Penn State's offensive line returning four of five starters from 2022, the Nittany Lions' run blocking should be even better in 2023.
While quarterback Drew Allar will get much of the attention entering the season, the Nittany Lions' backfield, if they stay healthy should once again be the focal point of the offense.
4. A potential star at quarterback
Let's tell it how it is...
Penn State's hopes and dreams in 2023 ride squarely on the shoulders of No. 15.
If Drew Allar is the quarterback that many (including us) believe he could be next season, the sky is the limit for the Nittany Lions. Allar is one of the most talented signal callers to come through Happy Valley over the history of the program, if not the most naturally talented.
He has the prototypical size with elite arm strength, good accuracy, and he can move a bit better than most would think. If Allar lives up to his potential, Penn State is a College Football Playoff contender for both of the next two seasons and possibly even a true title contender.
The Medina (OH) native played quite a bit in 2022 thanks to multiple blowout wins and showed off many of the traits that made him so highly touted coming out of high school. Overall, he finished his freshman season completing 35-of-60 passing attempts for 344 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
To help out Allar, the Nittany Lions coaching staff helped answers some of the questions at wide receiver this offseason with adding Florida State transfer Malik McClain and are expected to add Kent State star wide receiver Dante Cephas following the spring. On top of those two, they'll also return KeAndre Lambert-Smith who over the Nittany Lions' last two games of the 2022 season had eight receptions for 207 yards and two touchdowns. As well as names such as Harrison Wallace III, rising redshirt freshman Kaden Saunders who like Allar was a top recruit out of the state of Ohio in the 2022 recruiting class among others.
The Nittany Lions' of course will return a top-notch tight end room headlined by Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren.
5. The depth is as strong as ever...
You can have the quarterback, you can have the defense, you can have a strong core overall but if you don’t have the depth, you don’t stand a chance to make the College Football Playoffs.
Throughout the course of a 12-game regular season, 13 games if you play for a Big Ten championship, you'll have to get past injuries and other issues to win. That's where depth becomes so important.
Over the last few years, James Franklin and his staff have quietly (on a national level) stacked strong recruiting classes including the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes.
With that, the Nittany Lions have built the depth that they would need to make a run at the CFP. While it’s not to the level of Alabama, Georgia, or Ohio State, it quietly has entered that next tier of teams in college football.
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