Phil Steele doubles down on Penn State football supremacy in 2025

On Big Ten Network, college football analyst Phil Steele backed his projection that Penn State will be the national champion in the 2026 College Football Playoff. In the "2025 Phil Steele College Football Preview Magazine," he has the Nittany Lions in the No. 1 spot for both the Big Ten and overall national rankings.

"I picked Penn State to win it all this year," Steele said. ". . . I think they have the same things going for them that Michigan and Ohio State had the last few years, and that is a lot of players turned down the NFL [and] opted to return for the senior season."

Penn State is the seventh team with the most returning starters with nine offensive players and five defensemen. For Steele, the players that are back give the Nittany Lions an edge, especially when considering the top teams' starting quarterbacks.

"Now if you look at all the top contenders, very few return their starting quarterback. Drew Allar is back for Penn State. It's his third year as a starter. We saw improvement last year. Then you look at the running back core I rated No. 1 in the country. Offensive line? How about No. 1 in the country," Steel said. "You look at the receivers, last year [they were] sort of a weakness, but this year they've added in three big-time transfers [that] I think is going to aid that. Defensively, they're loaded with Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant up front, every unit on the defense is solid; and they're even one of the top special teams."

When looking at the Big Ten exclusively, Penn State is in the best position without a doubt. Allar under center with an impressive supporting offensive cast should put the Nittany Lions at the top of the conference by the end of the regular season. Ohio State is going to be a huge test in Week 10, and not just because the Buckeyes are the reigning national champions. It'll be telling as to how the playoffs will roll out and how well Penn State can hold up against Top 25 teams.

By the looks of it, Texas, Georgia, and Ohio State are all in that top-ranked bubble with the Nittany Lions. The Longhorns might be Penn State's biggest opponent as they've received a lot of praise and support across the country to be the No. 1 team. However, Steele hasn't backed down from favoring the Nittany Lions.

"They've been very close to Ohio State the last couple of years, but I think this much more veteran Penn State team — which gained playoff experience last year — is ready for that breakthrough year; and that's why first time in the 31 years of the magazine, I picked [it] not only No. 1 in the Big Ten, but No. 1 overall in the country."