Penn State Football 2021: 5 reasons for optimism, 4 reasons to worry

Reason to Worry #1 – A Tough Schedule

One third of Penn State Football’s schedule is ranked within the top 20 of the preseason AP poll…and three of those matchups are on the road.

Most seasons, Penn State Football opens up their season at home against a small school where they can knock some rust off. They could really benefit from that this season to help with things such as Clifford gaining confidence, the offense getting used to the new playbook, and some young defensive ends and linebackers to gain some experience to build depth.

This season, Penn State Football has to hit the road week one to take on Wisconsin, who is led by one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten, Graham Mertz. Along with Wisconsin, Penn State also needs to take on another top team in the Big Ten West, Iowa (also on the road).

The Nittany Lions are also in a tough division as always, where they have to take on Indiana and the defending Big Ten Champions, Ohio State. They also must not overlook matchups against Maryland and Rutgers, two programs that are currently trending upward.

Lastly, Penn State has two tough non-conference games against Ball State and Auburn.

This is a good Penn State football team, one that could certainly reach double digit wins. However, having such a difficult schedule will make it tough for them to reach some of their goals.