SI places Penn State football outside Top 15 in preseason ranks

The preseason power rankings continue to roll in, and Penn State football places further back than most on Sports Illustrated’s list.

We’re vastly approaching the start of another NCAA football season. In a matter of just a few weeks, the Penn State football program will kick off the new year against Idaho. Although Penn State is primed for an interesting season, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good thing.

The Nittany Lions could go many ways this year, as they have a handful of unknowns on their squad for 2019. The worst-case scenario for the Lions would be to end the year with under nine wins, which is what their average over/under is currently set at, according to most betting sites.

The best-case scenario for the Lions would be winning the Big Ten Conference, which could be a tall task to order this year. However, it’s surely not out of the question. Most publications believe that Ohio State and Michigan are much further ahead in progress than the Lions are.

However, those teams have many questions themselves as well. Here, we will focus solely on the Lions though, who have questions at some of football’s most important positions. With the biggest question mark surrounding the quarterback position, many major publications don’t know what to expect from the Lions in 2019. Therefore, they’ve been ranking them lower than usual.

Where does Sports Illustrated rank the Lions?

Last week, USA Today’s Coaches Poll had the Lions at No. 14 for their preseason pre-rankings. On Tuesday, ESPN’s preseason power rankings had the Nittany Lions at No. 15 exactly. Now, on Wednesday, Sports Illustrated has the Lions just outside of the Top-15. On their list, the Lions are close at No. 16, looking in at Michigan (No. 11) and Ohio State (No. 6).

"“Last season, Penn State took a step back after losing Saquon Barkley. To avoid a similar fate in 2019 after Trace McSorley’s departure, coach James Franklin will lean on his 13th-ranked recruiting class.”"

Saquon Barkley was a significant loss in 2018, but the team didn’t fall apart. In 2019 though, the losses are even more significant. Barkley’s replacement, Miles Sanders, is out of the picture. And Trace McSorley is now gone as well. Sean Clifford and the committee of backs headlined by Ricky Slade have high-hopes, but the unproven factor doesn’t load the spectators with confidence.