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ESPN has a lot of faith in Penn State in 2026 College Football Playoff prediction

ESPN has released their 2026 College Football Playoff prediction and it might surprise some Penn State, but will definitely make them smile.

ByEricka Brockish|
Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) looks to throw the ball in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) looks to throw the ball in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Penn State was a team that still struggled in the big games in the regular season as they were unable to beat Ohio State yet again and lost a narrow game to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship. However, head coach James Franklin was able to lead the Nittany Lions to two wins in the College Football Playoff against SMU and Boise State.

Sadly, Penn State fell to Notre Dame in the Capital Orange Bowl and fell one game short of the National Championship, but Penn State fans now have something to smile about.

With the end of the season, it always comes way too early. Top 25 rankings and predictions, but ESPN has officially released their 2026 College Football Playoff prediction, and they clearly have a lot of faith in the Penn State Nittany Lions.

ESPN has Penn State winning it all in 2026, and they may not be that far off.

Yes, Penn State is losing some big pieces, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but on the offense, they are retaining their three best players with quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. However, the Nittany Lions have to address the wide receiver issue they have if they want to even sniff the National Championship.

Franklin still has a lot to improve on in 2025 if he wants to think about winning it in the 2026 College Football Playoff, but clearly, they have the confidence of those at ESPN to win it all. Looking at Penn State's path in the prediction, ESPN had the Nittany Lions winning the Big Ten next season, winning a rematch with Notre Dame, and taking down the Big 12 Champion Utah Utes.

The fact that ESPN doesn't even have Ohio State making it past the first round shows that they don't believe the Buckeyes will look unstoppable next season. They did lose their defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, to Penn State just days ago, and let's face it, the defense was a big reason Ohio State won the National Championship this season.

Could Penn State win it all next year? There is still a lot of time to debate that, but the 2025 season could be here before we know it, and Penn State has to keep its mind focused on football.

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