Penn State football: No. 5 preseason ranking both meaningful, meaningless
Penn State football was ranked No. 5 in the latest 247 Sports preseason poll.
Every college football fan — Penn State football fans probably more than most — wants to see their team highly ranked at any time of year.
So when the newest 247 Sports preseason rankings were released and Penn State sat squarely at number five in the nation, fans had a reason to celebrate. The Nittany Lions came in under Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama and Georgia.
247 Sports college football writer Chris Hummer said of Penn State:
"“This might be the year Penn State breaks through and reaches the CFB Playoff. The Nittany Lions return nine starters on offense. Losing speedy receiver KJ Hamler is unquestionably a huge blow – he was the instant offense in Happy Valley. But Penn State will feature one of the best running back groups in the country (Journey Brown, Noah Cain, Devyn Ford) alongside a QB (Sean Clifford) and o-line built to run the ball.”"
That’s some pretty good company to keep considering how well those teams have played in recent years. Being considered one of the top five teams in the nation is meaningful, even if the season hasn’t seen a down yet.
But, it’s also meaningless, because (let’s face it) it’s preseason. It’s conjecture. It’s all speculation.
The fact is that, whether meaningful or meaningless, it’s a good thing for the Penn State football program and for head coach James Franklin.
A top-five ranking makes recruiting easier. It makes talking to the press easier. It makes a lot of things easier.
And more difficult.
Now the Nittany Lions have to live up to, even earn, that ranking. They have to show, just like the four teams who sit above them, that they are indeed one of the most elite teams in the country.
If things set up the way Hummer and many other analysts see things going in the Big Ten, the October 24 matchup against Ohio State in Happy Valley could be one of the biggest conference games of the year.
Its a sure thing either Alabama or Georgia will have one loss by then (since they play each other on Sept. 19) so Penn State could use that game as a step into College Football Playoff positioning, and to take lead in the Big Ten.
None of this matters until the toe meets the pigskin in September, but for now Penn State fans can bask in the knowledge that the Nittany Lions are looked at as serious contenders this season.