ESPN preseason rankings places Penn State football within Top 25

ESPN Preseason Rankings list Penn State football within the Top 25 as training camp kicks off for 2019.

The 2019 NCAA football season is just weeks away. Last week, Penn State football returned to the field for their summer training camp, and soon enough they will be kicking off the season against Idaho. This year, the Lions have a different look.

Obviously, moving onto a different quarterback will always flip a team regardless of whether the rest of the offense is the same or not.However, that’s not exactly the case. The Nittany Lions have also moved on from their number one running back, Miles Sanders.

As the now second-round pick is out in Philly getting ready for his NFL debut, the Lions have to figure out what they are going to do with their backfield as well. At this point, the Lions’ defense will have to act as the heart and soul of their team.

Considering the young star power, and the veteran experience on that side of the ball, Penn State will be relying on them more often than not. And any positive impact for the offense will be huge for the Nittany Lions 2019 campaign. As they attempt to climb back to the top of the Big Ten Conference, the Lions will have to ensure they shock their opponents with the unknown in 2019.

Right now, none of the major publications have lost hope in a Trace McSorley-less Lions. Although question marks are raised for obvious reasons, many understand that Penn State is still built to remain relevant. Recently, USA Today placed them at No. 14 in their preseason power rankings. We wouldn’t argue the placement, but some said they were overrated.

What does ESPN say?

So in came ESPN to confirm that USA Today was not totally off base with their evaluation. Although the Lions didn’t peak at No. 14 on ESPN’s NCAA preseason power rankings, they were close. At No. 15, ESPN placed the Penn State Nittany Lions. Like most publications, Penn State is ranked third in the conference, behind Michigan (No.6) and Ohio State (No. 5).

"“This will be an interesting season for the Nittany Lions, who are now without quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Miles Sanders. Luckily for Penn State, the defense is stout, and returning leading tackler Micah Parsons is primed to take a step forward in his sophomore season. If the offense can find playmakers, this could be a sneaky team to watch.”"

Again, Penn State is full of question marks on the offensive side of the ball — but the unknown factor could play in their favor if everything goes correctly. With McSorley and Sander sas a No. 1 back, opposing defenses knew what to prepare for. This time around, nobody knows what the Lions have in Sean Clifford and the committee of backs headlined by Ricky Slade. Sometimes, the unknown can be a blessing in disguise if everything goes to plan. We’ll see if that will be the case for the Penn State Nittany Lions soon enough.