On his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show," Klatt made some massive claims in favor of Penn State's 2025 season.
First, Klatt gave his predictions for the Big Ten Championship Game, where he has the blue and white returning in 2025 for a second consecutive year.
"I do think Ohio State's likely gonna beat Penn State in The Shoe earlier in the season," Klatt said. "There's a chance that even with that other home game against Texas, that Ohio State is undefeated at this point, they would be number one in the country."
He didn't leave the Nittany Lions on a low note, though. Klatt offered some optimism for one of the most experienced teams in college football this season.
"You've got to remember, the pressure on James Franklin would be immense," Klatt continued. "Because of that, I think his team would play their best football. An experienced team, experienced at quarterback, you don't have that on the other side."
Currently, FanDuel has Ohio State (+190) as the favorite to win the Big Ten with Penn State barely trailing (+230).
In this scenario, Klatt predicts that with the hoisting of the Big Ten title, Penn State will propel to the No.1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
With that seeding and first-round bye, Klatt's CFP bracket has the Nittany Lions set up for a first-round match against either Kansas State or Alabama. He said Penn State will use its experience to defeat Alabama in a clash of two legendary college football programs that haven't faced off since 2011.
"Penn State needs this. If they lose in the quarterfinals, this is not good. I think they get over the hump of winning those games against marquee teams," Klatt predicted. "So I've got Penn State beating Alabama, [it's] got more experience."
This is where Klatt broke the bad news for Penn State fans as he has the Buckeyes enacting revenge in a matchup that could send them to the national championship.
"I don't think Penn State can beat Ohio State twice . . . You give Ryan Day the opportunity to adjust after a loss like that [Big Ten Championship Game], he's going to adjust." Klatt claimed, "So, I'm going to go with Ohio State over Penn State and getting to the national championship for a second straight year."
As for the rest of his bracket, Klatt has Clemson defeating Texas to advance to the National Championship Game, winning it all.
As an underdog pick, Clemson has the sixth-best odds (+1200) to win it all, according to FanDuel. Also in the mix are Texas (+550), Ohio State (+650), and Georgia (+650) before getting to the Nittany Lions (+750).