Why Sports Illustrated Predicts Penn State to Win the National Championship

Penn State certainly can stake a claim to the preseason national championship, but where will the Nittany Lions be standing Jan. 19? Hoisting the College Football Playoff championship trophy, writes Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde.

As part of SI's college football preview package, Forde leans heavily on the word "finally" in picking Penn State as the 2025 CFP champions. The Nittany Lions haven't won a national championship since the 1986 season, drew within a series of playing for a title last year and have been one of college football's most consistent teams over the past three seasons. So Sports Illustrated finally made the call.

"Sports Illustrated is doing the most dangerous thing college football prognosticators can do," Fore wrote. "We are picking Penn State to win the national championship."

Surely fans can understand the hesitation. Franklin got close in 2016, when he led the Nittany Lions to an unexpected Big Ten title and to the doorstep of the four-team playoff. The 2017 fell a total of four points (in consecutive losses to Ohio State and Michigan State) short of making the playoff. After that, the playoff sat just out of reach until last year's expansion to 12 teams.

And then... Penn State took a 10-0 lead against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, led by 7 points with under five minutes remaining and gave up 10 points in the final 4:38 (with a bitter interception wedged in between) to fall to the Fighting Irish 27-24.

Since then, Penn State coach James Franklin has heavy-lifted the program to becoming a legitimate title contender. He retained some of the team's most important talent, notably quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and defensive linemen Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton. He rebuilt the wide receivers room.

Franklin hired former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to the richest assistant-coaching contract in college football. Then he gave Allar access to Knowles to diagnose how the Buckeyes held Penn State to one offensive touchdown over the past two seasons. Franklin also hired running backs coach Stan Drayton, who has two national-championship rings, to lead perhaps the best room in the country.

"Now it’s just a matter of making the biggest plays in the biggest games," Fo rde wrote. "The ones where the Nittany Lions have fallen short."

Penn State, which also is Sports Illustrated's preseason No. 1 team, has the look of a team positioned for the "finally." And that narrative will follow (or haunt, if things go sideways) Penn State through the season.

According to SI, "It’s now or maybe never if Penn State really wants to put the past behind it and win the national championship."

Is it? Penn State begins addressing that question in the Aug. 30 season-opener vs. Nevada at Beaver Stadium.