The stage is set for Penn State, and now the question is whether the Nittany Lions will capitalize.
While reigning national champion Ohio State, reigning Big Ten champ Oregon and traditional heavyweight Michigan are breaking in new quarterbacks, Penn State goes into the season with a three-year starter behind center in Drew Allar, a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singles, and a top-10 defense with first-year coordinator Jim Knowles.
“I think when you look at all of our personnel, not just the players, but the staff and players, it’s the best combination that we’ve had in my 12 years here,” head coach James Franklin said. “The depth, the experience, the talent is impressive.”
Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 college football poll released Monday — behind Texas of the Southeastern Conference, and just ahead of Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions have won at least 10 games three straight years, and last season they made the College Football Playoff for the first time. It’s fair to note their initial entry came as the CFP expanded to a 12-team field after a decade as a four-team bracket, but they made their stay an extended one as they beat overmatched opponents SMU and Boise State before a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl semifinal.
The knock against Franklin and the Lions is that they win the games they are supposed to but not the ones when the lights are the brightest.
“We were a drive away from playing for the national championship last year, and 99% of the programs in the country would be jacked about that season and how it went, and I don’t know if that was necessarily the case here, right?” Franklin said.
Except for a Sept. 27 home game against No. 7 Oregon, the Nittany Lions probably won’t be tested until the back end of their schedule. They’ll be trying for their first conference championship since 2016 and the automatic CFP bid that goes with it.
If not Penn State as Big Ten champ, then who?
Well, Ohio State and Oregon are at least poised to return to the playoff if their new quarterbacks keep the offenses on the rails.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day is still deciding between Lincoln Kienholz and Julian Sayin to take over behind center for the reigning national champs. Ohio State is going for its first Big Ten title since 2020, and it will have elite players all over the field while trying to make that happen.
Former UCLA quarterback Dante Moore, a five-star recruit when he signed with the Bruins, takes over for Dillon Gabriel at Oregon, which went 13-0 with a win over Penn State in the conference championship game to earn the CFP’s top seed before losing to Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Much is expected of Dakorien Moore, the top-rated receiver in the 2025 recruiting class, and what he can do for the Ducks.
No. 14 Michigan landed the nation’s No. 1 recruit in quarterback Bryce Underwood. The Wolverines didn’t win the Big Ten last year, but they did beat Ohio State a fourth straight time — the perfect ending to any Michigan regular season. Underwood and a new group of receivers should improve what was the Big Ten’s worst passing game.
There’s chatter about No. 12 Illinois being a CFP contender, too, and it’s not crazy talk. The Fighting Illini bring back quarterback Luke Altmyer and 15 other starters from their 10-win team, and the schedule is manageable. The Illini last season knocked off a four opponents ranked in the AP Top 25, tying a program record, and their six Big Ten wins were their most since 2007.
Meanwhile, No. 20 Indiana was the nation’s surprise team last season, but can Curt Cignetti keep it going in his second year as head coach of the Hoosiers? Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza, who threw for 3,000-plus yards, is the new quarterback.
Iowa’s hopes ride the arm of Mark Gronowski, who put up monster numbers at South Dakota State and could have just as easily entered the NFL draft, while Minnesota needs to get its offense going — four of the Golden Gophers’ five losses last season were one-score games — and Rutgers went to the transfer portal to improve a defense that tied for second-most touchdowns allowed in the Big Ten.
Jayden Maiava enters his first full season as the starting quarterback for Southern California’s Trojans, whose five one-score losses tied for the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season.
Washington’s defense will be coordinated by Ryan Walters, an ace in that role at Illinois before a failed run as Purdue’s head coach, and Michigan State needs more from quarterback Aidan Chiles, who has yet to find his rhythm.
Coah Matt Rhule’s teams at Temple and Baylor made big jumps in their third year of his tenure. The same should happen at Nebraska with quarterback Dylan Raiola still around and a manageable schedule on tap for the Cornhuskers.
UCLA can build on a strong finish to last season with a new quarterback (Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava), while Wisconsin can’t afford a slow start as the Badgers face three top-10 opponents and another in the top 15 within their first eight games.
Finally, SMU transfer quarterback Preston Stone is next in line to spark a Northwestern offense that has struggled for going on seven years, freshman quarterback Malik Washington is a bright spot for a Maryland team that incurred huge losses in the portal, and Barry Odom takes over as coach at Purdue after the Boilermakers’ only win last season was against Indiana State, a Football Championship Subdivision program.