Will Penn State Football return to College Football Playoff hunt in 2021?
Chris Snyder – Penn State Wrestling contributor
Record Prediction: 9-3
What are some things we know about James Franklin led Penn State Football teams now that he’s entering his eighth year at the helm?
-His teams are generally very talented.
-The players play hard.
Anything else?
-They typically start off the year slow and get better as the season goes on.
-They typically start each game slow and are forced to make mid-game adjustments.
-Clock management is kind of, sort of a huge issue?
So, based on what we’ve seen and generally know, does this season’s schedule allow Penn State Football to ease into year? I’m sure the other VBR guys are going to say the same thing, but I really feel the season begins and ends with the opening game on the schedule. A difficult trip to Madison to face the No. 12 Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.
If Penn State Football truly wants to be elite, and be in the college football playoff discussion, as many fans believe they should be, then they have to win this game. I don’t care if it’s 3-2 or 41-40. Just win baby!
Sadly, or shall I say more realistically, I don’t believe they will win this game.
Wisconsin is always a tough team, especially at home, and especially since they have arguably their most dynamic quarterback since Russell Wilson. I’m also looking at two other road tilts on the schedule:
Saturday, October 9th – at No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes
Saturday, October 30th – at No. 4 Ohio State
I’m chalking these up as losses too.
And the pessimist in me doesn’t want to stop there.
But, I will because I believe the moves James Franklin made in the past two years appear to be good. Taylor Stubblefield seemed to have righted the ship with the receiving corps and there’s still hope Phil Trautwein can turn the offensive line into a human mauling machine.
However, the burning question is still sitting on the table; Is Mike Yurcich a brilliant offensive coordinator and can he turn Sean Clifford into a decent Power 5 quarterback?
I’m not asking for elite, but serviceable. If so, then Penn State Football could go 9-3 in the regular season, win a bowl game, and finish the year with double digits wins yet again.