Penn State football: CBS Sports makes a prediction on Lions’ 2019 record

How will Penn State football fare in 2019 as they turn a new page in the program?

The 2019 NCAA football season could go either way for Penn State football. For the last few years, the Nittany Lions knew what to expect. And the expectations were high. While nobody is lowering their standard considering the circumstances heading into this year, we’re still slightly unsure of just how well the Lions will do as they lost a few key contributors after the 2018 season.

Who was here last year, but gone for next year? Quite a few players. The Philadelphia Eagles took on two former Lions in this year’s past NFL Draft. Penn State’s star running back, Miles Sanders and one of their top pass rushers, Shareef Miller.

The Lions’ Pennsylvania neighbors didn’t just stop there though. The Eagles also signed Ryan Bates and DeAndre Thompkins as well. Some other key contributors ended up out of state. One being offensive guard Connor McGovern. And another was the cornerback, Amani Oruwaryie. In addition to just losing solid players, Penn State most importantly lost reliable leaders.

For the defensive side of the ball, the Lions are looking to move on in 2019 from a former two-time captain. Safety Nick Scott has now landed with the Los Angeles Rams and the torch will have to passed off to somebody who earns it during the 2019 offseason.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Lions lose perhaps one of the most critical players in their program’s history as quarterback Trace McSorley moves on. And being that McSorley’s successor up and left before he got to take over, that just makes the quarterback position even more of a question mark heading into the season.

As we know, quarterback play can make or break a season.So with all of these question marks surrounding Penn State, what’s a reasonable win total prediction for them heading into the new football season?

What can the Lions expect?

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli recently took a stab at predicting some Big Ten win totals for the 2019 season. Obviously, some teams were easier to predict than others. We all know which teams are likely to be solid (Ohio State, Michigan) and which teams are likely to struggle (Illinois, Maryland). But with all of the changes in Happy Valley, which category does the expert see the Lions falling under? The solid one? Or the struggling one? Here’s the prediction with an explanation.

Prediction: Under 8.5 wins

"“This is another situation I don’t have a great read on. Penn State finished 9-4 last season, and watching it there were times I thought it was a much better team than that record. But there were times I thought it was worse, too. Now Trace McSorley’s gone, and the Nittany Lions have tough road games against Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State. That could be three losses right there, and then there are home dates against Michigan as well as a Purdue team that could prove problematic. In the end, I’m going to take the under, just because the price on it is great.”"

Last season, the Lions wrapped up the year with over 8.5 wins. Again, the team was much different. There was more experience on the roster, which is always a plus. This year, the inexperience makes it tougher to expect a more successful season.

Therefore, taking the under on 8.5 wins seems reasonable considering the unknown. However, the unknown could fool a lot of bettors, and the Lions could shock the Big Ten next season as well. Buckle up, because things are going to get interesting in Happy Valley next season.