Post Spring Practice: Will Penn State Football be Ranked?
Not the Only Team who got Better
There is one variable involved here that has absolutely nothing to do with Penn State, and that’s the question about how good every other team is.
Are there 25 teams in better shape than Penn State heading into 2022?
The final 2021 AP Poll was:
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Michigan
- Cincinnati
- Baylor
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma State
- Notre Dame
- Michigan State
- Oklahoma
- Ole Miss
- Utah
- Pitt
- Clemson
- Wake Forest
- Louisiana
- Houston
- Kentucky
- BYU
- NC State
- Arkansas
- Oregon
- Iowa
- Utah State
- San Diego State
So, how many of the teams who finished the 2021 season ranked won’t start the 2022 season in the top 25?
The ACC champion Pitt Panthers lost Heisman finalist Kenny Pickett to the draft and Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison to the transfer portal. Will they still be ranked after losing one of the best quarterback/wide receiver duos in the country?
There’s smaller schools like Utah State and San Diego State who finished the year ranked, but rarely start the next one inside the top 25. There’s also a team like Iowa, who started the season 6-0, but finished 4-4. Part of the reason they stayed ranked was because of their hot start, but they were exposed down the stretch.
It looks like there’s a few openings, but Penn State isn’t the only team who could move into those spots.
The new-look USC Trojans look poised to start the season ranked. Wisconsin struggled to start 2021, but finished strong and have a Heisman contender in running back Braelon Allen, they’ll likely be ranked. Another Big Ten team, Minnesota, dealt with a flurry of injuries that derailed their 2021 season, they’ll be stronger in 2022.
There are then teams who dominated the recruiting rankings in the 2022 cycle and the transfer portal this off-season. Those teams are Texas A&M, Texas and LSU. It’s likely that at least two-if not all three- start 2022 ranked based off of their off-season additions.
A lot of teams competing for not many open spots.