Will Penn State Become What They Think They Already Are?

Defensively, despite the loss of mega-star Abdul Carter to the NFL, the Nittany Lions do bring back experience and talent. Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant anchor the defensive line, Tony Rojas and Dom DeLuca are returning starters at linebacker, while A.J. Harris and Zakee Wheatley are potential stars in the secondary. On top of that, transfers Amare Campbell and Enai White should be immediate contributors.

It is easy to understand why the expectations in and around Happy Valley are as high as they are. However, Penn State fans have experienced all this before. They allow themselves to get excited and optimistic, until unceremoniously the Nittany Lions fail to win a pivotal game. And usually, this crushing loss comes against an opponent that Penn State wants to see itself as an equal of.

The most obvious example is Ohio State. Penn State has gone 1-10 against Ohio State since Coach Franklin’s arrival. It is difficult to call it a rivalry when one side wins 91% of the time. It is also difficult to meet lofty season expectations when you lose to the elite program in your conference 91% of the time. But it isn’t just Ohio State. The other blue blood in the Big Ten, Michigan, has also had its fun with Penn State. The Nittany Lions have gone 3-7 against the Wolverines since Coach Franklin’s arrival, including losing the last three, and the last two in Happy Valley. Penn State wants to believe that they are on the same footing as Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten, but they have gone 4-17 against the two since 2014.

Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, Oregon’s arrival in the Big Ten adds another daunting hurdle to try and overcome. And their first attempt to navigate that hurdle resulted in a 45-37 loss to the Ducks during last season’s Big Ten Championship. There are no signs that Oregon will flounder anytime soon, which makes Penn State’s trip to the top even more difficult.

2025 has the opportunity to become a program defining season for Penn State. But to do so they need to win the Big Ten and make a legitimate run at a National Championship. If they can’t overtake Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon this season, when will they? If they can’t do it with an NFL quarterback, two NFL running backs and several NFL defensive players, when will they? If it’s not in 2025, it won’t be in 2026 when all these players are collecting paychecks in the NFL and Coach Franklin is left to try and reload most of his star power.

Penn State fans should be excited this off-season, but they also have ever right to be nervous. Coach Franklin has yet to prove that he can accomplish what every Penn State fan wants, so why would anything change this fall? It has to if the Nittany Lions want to be seriously mentioned in the same breath as the elite in their conference.