Penn State Football: Projecting the ceiling and floor for the 2022 season

Floor for the 2022 Penn State Football Season

Prediction: 5-7

I told you my answer would be drastically different than the theoretical “Back To The Future” scenario I played out in the previous page.

But seriously, tell me deep down that you don’t see a scenario play out in which Penn State Football fails to even make a bowl game.

Because I can easily see this happen for a number of reasons.

And we’ll start with the elephant in the room that is still occupying considerable space in the back of everyone’s minds, in Penn State Football social media comments, and maybe even in the Lasch Building.

And no, it is not the public outcry for the Chicken Cosmo to come back.

It’s the downright dismal play from the offensive line from last year.

And even though the line will feature a new face at literally every single position, could they be just as bad as last year?

Sure!

Until Franklin and his coaching staff prove otherwise, the offensive line is going to be a liability going into every season.

And, I don’t care if Barry Sanders is in the backfield, even he would struggle to try to navigate around four massive human beings in his face 0.6 seconds after the ball is snapped.

So how well will Keyvone Lee and Nick Singleton fare? Not great.

Oh, and Sean Clifford is back for his ninth fifth season at the helm. By now, Nittany Lions fans know exactly what to expect from him at the quarterback position.

Clifford is a warrior out on the football field and at times he displays great poise and can deliver some incredibly tough throws right into the hands of a streaking receiver. And sometimes he makes it looks easy.

But then there’s the other side of the Clifford coin. And unfortunately, this side seems to show up at a far higher rate than the normal 50/50 coin flip.

Inaccurate passes, happy feet in the pocket, locking in on one receiver, mind-numbing turnovers, poor throws to wide open receivers, rolling into sacks, to name a few.

And getting those types of tangibles from the most important position in all of sports sounds like a great way to go 11-11 in the last two seasons.

So what if these things happen and Drew Allar or Beau Pribula aren’t quite at the level people were expecting?

Keep in mind, the results from the past two years also include having one of the best wide receivers in Penn State history hauling in passes. And they still only managed to be a .500. Well, Jahan Dotson isn’t coming back. Can they replace his production?

And, what if Penn State Football is unable to replace the production at the defensive end, linebacker, and safety positions from last year?

And what if the special teams regresses to being questionable? If it’s happened before then there’s nothing saying it can’t happen again.

And what if the ongoing bad trends for James Franklin continue?

Even if a portion of the scenarios I’ve laid out come to fruition, then next year is going to be painful.

Both in watching the team and for the growing momentum the Nittany Lions have gained on the recruiting trail.

I can clearly see a path to 5-7, the third straight abysmal season, and the groans getting louder from people questioning Franklin’s 10-year contract extension.