McSorley, Barkley and Robinson behind a very good OL ...

[tboyer]

Feels like 10 wins. The O could be the best in the B1G but whether they get to 10 will depend on the D. Really all three defensive units are question marks. They all have the potential to be terrific but it will depend on injuries, leadership, development of some key players. I do think it's fair to say the D has no obvious weakness. They should be pretty stout up front, if not dominant. They have athleticism and experience at LB and in the secondary.

Beating Ohio State at the Shoe -- looks very unlikely from here. Meyer will absolutely not want to risk losing two in a row to Franklin and will prepare like crazy for that game. There will be a couple of matchup nightmares and OSU's uncharacteristic weakness at wideout will not continue this year. At least PSU will be no more of an underdog than they were last year.

I think for me the measuring sticks this season will be Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan and possibly Maryland late in the season. Iowa is going to bounce back with another vintage Ferentz OL this year -- will PSU be able to line up and handle them? Northwestern is going to bring rugged, physical D and constant blitzes -- will the PSU OL be able to handle them? I would love to see PSU go to Evanston and really throttle NW for a change -- that would send a major signal about the direction of the PSU program.

Michigan will have all kinds of crazy speed from recent recruiting -- PSU will have the edge in experience, though -- will that be enough to overcome some matchup problems?

Maryland is bringing in a great freshman class and could be a pretty tough football team by November. Ash needs fast results -- he probably won't redshirt anybody. So I think this looms as a dangerous game -- late in the year. Maryland will have a terrible record coming in but they'll be playing at home. This will be a test of PSU's maturity -- either to keep their concentration on the way to a potential B1G title game. Or a test of PSU's strength of character if they've dropped a couple of games along the way and they're playing for an Orlando bowl game.

 

[joeparules]

Feels like 10 wins. The O could be the best in the B1G but whether they get to 10 will depend on the D. Really all three defensive units are question marks. They all have the potential to be terrific but it will depend on injuries, leadership, development of some key players. I do think it's fair to say the D has no obvious weakness. They should be pretty stout up front, if not dominant. They have athleticism and experience at LB and in the secondary.

Beating Ohio State at the Shoe -- looks very unlikely from here. Meyer will absolutely not want to risk losing two in a row to Franklin and will prepare like crazy for that game. There will be a couple of matchup nightmares and OSU's uncharacteristic weakness at wideout will not continue this year. At least PSU will be no more of an underdog than they were last year.

I think for me the measuring sticks this season will be Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan and possibly Maryland late in the season. Iowa is going to bounce back with another vintage Ferentz OL this year -- will PSU be able to line up and handle them? Northwestern is going to bring rugged, physical D and constant blitzes -- will the PSU OL be able to handle them? I would love to see PSU go to Evanston and really throttle NW for a change -- that would send a major signal about the direction of the PSU program.

Michigan will have all kinds of crazy speed from recent recruiting -- PSU will have the edge in experience, though -- will that be enough to overcome some matchup problems?

Maryland is bringing in a great freshman class and could be a pretty tough football team by November. Ash needs fast results -- he probably won't redshirt anybody. So I think this looms as a dangerous game -- late in the year. Maryland will have a terrible record coming in but they'll be playing at home. This will be a test of PSU's maturity -- either to keep their concentration on the way to a potential B1G title game. Or a test of PSU's strength of character if they've dropped a couple of games along the way and they're playing for an Orlando bowl game.

I agree the play of the defense will have the biggest impact on the season record. The offense only lost two players (Godwin being a big loss) and has plenty of talent now at WR and OL to replace them. The defense lost a lot more (Bell, Reid and Golden being the biggest) and there is now talent there too, but quality depth at LB is still a concern along with breaking in two new secondary members. The good news is CJF's recruiting makes things a little less scary with attrition/injuries.

Even if the offense performs like the second half of last season, the Rose Bowl shows you still have to keep the opponent from marching up and down the field!

 

[Burb]

Feels like 10 wins. The O could be the best in the B1G but whether they get to 10 will depend on the D. Really all three defensive units are question marks. They all have the potential to be terrific but it will depend on injuries, leadership, development of some key players. I do think it's fair to say the D has no obvious weakness. They should be pretty stout up front, if not dominant. They have athleticism and experience at LB and in the secondary.

Beating Ohio State at the Shoe -- looks very unlikely from here. Meyer will absolutely not want to risk losing two in a row to Franklin and will prepare like crazy for that game. There will be a couple of matchup nightmares and OSU's uncharacteristic weakness at wideout will not continue this year. At least PSU will be no more of an underdog than they were last year.

I think for me the measuring sticks this season will be Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan and possibly Maryland late in the season. Iowa is going to bounce back with another vintage Ferentz OL this year -- will PSU be able to line up and handle them? Northwestern is going to bring rugged, physical D and constant blitzes -- will the PSU OL be able to handle them? I would love to see PSU go to Evanston and really throttle NW for a change -- that would send a major signal about the direction of the PSU program.

Michigan will have all kinds of crazy speed from recent recruiting -- PSU will have the edge in experience, though -- will that be enough to overcome some matchup problems?

Maryland is bringing in a great freshman class and could be a pretty tough football team by November. Ash needs fast results -- he probably won't redshirt anybody. So I think this looms as a dangerous game -- late in the year. Maryland will have a terrible record coming in but they'll be playing at home. This will be a test of PSU's maturity -- either to keep their concentration on the way to a potential B1G title game. Or a test of PSU's strength of character if they've dropped a couple of games along the way and they're playing for an Orlando bowl game.

 

[Burb]

I truly believe this team will be GOOD. They should take all but OSU, AND I believe that can do that with a real good game!

 

[brupsu]

Feels like 10 wins. The O could be the best in the B1G but whether they get to 10 will depend on the D. Really all three defensive units are question marks. They all have the potential to be terrific but it will depend on injuries, leadership, development of some key players. I do think it's fair to say the D has no obvious weakness. They should be pretty stout up front, if not dominant. They have athleticism and experience at LB and in the secondary.

Beating Ohio State at the Shoe -- looks very unlikely from here. Meyer will absolutely not want to risk losing two in a row to Franklin and will prepare like crazy for that game. There will be a couple of matchup nightmares and OSU's uncharacteristic weakness at wideout will not continue this year. At least PSU will be no more of an underdog than they were last year.

I think for me the measuring sticks this season will be Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan and possibly Maryland late in the season. Iowa is going to bounce back with another vintage Ferentz OL this year -- will PSU be able to line up and handle them? Northwestern is going to bring rugged, physical D and constant blitzes -- will the PSU OL be able to handle them? I would love to see PSU go to Evanston and really throttle NW for a change -- that would send a major signal about the direction of the PSU program.

Michigan will have all kinds of crazy speed from recent recruiting -- PSU will have the edge in experience, though -- will that be enough to overcome some matchup problems?

Maryland is bringing in a great freshman class and could be a pretty tough football team by November. Ash needs fast results -- he probably won't redshirt anybody. So I think this looms as a dangerous game -- late in the year. Maryland will have a terrible record coming in but they'll be playing at home. This will be a test of PSU's maturity -- either to keep their concentration on the way to a potential B1G title game. Or a test of PSU's strength of character if they've dropped a couple of games along the way and they're playing for an Orlando bowl game.

I agree the play of the defense will have the biggest impact on the season record. The offense only lost two players (Godwin being a big loss) and has plenty of talent now at WR and OL to replace them. The defense lost a lot more (Bell, Reid and Golden being the biggest) and there is now talent there too, but quality depth at LB is still a concern along with breaking in two new secondary members. The good news is CJF's recruiting makes things a little less scary with attrition/injuries.

Even if the offense performs like the second half of last season, the Rose Bowl shows you still have to keep the opponent from marching up and down the field!

How many teams on Psu schedule have an offense anywhere near usc?Iowa is always rugged and there is going to be some unforeseen tough games along the way but how are these teams going to match up against Psu offense?If the offensive line is as good as it seems it's going to be there are going to be way too many options for any defense to handle.No doubt nits will be targeted but Maryland?

 

[ftlpsu]

How many teams on Psu schedule have an offense anywhere near usc?Iowa is always rugged and there is going to be some unforeseen tough games along the way but how are these teams going to match up against Psu offense?If the offensive line is as good as it seems it's going to be there are going to be way too many options for any defense to handle.No doubt nits will be targeted but Maryland?

Agree..we will be able to control the game and use a nice rotation at the RB spot. Also our drastic improvement of our punting game helps our D out a lot. When the O scores and puts up point it makes the Opponents Offense very predictable thus making calls for the DC much easier....

I am only worried about OSU at the SHOE.

 

[nitanee123]

My only issue with the OP is saying that a win at tO$U looks unlikely. We should have one of the best offenses in the country and we have coach that can motivate. tO$U should be worried.

 

[pandaczar12]

I can't believe no one is worried about Pitt. Given Narduzzi's recruiting and defensive prowess... that' a double digit loss.

 

[tboyer]

Also our drastic improvement of our punting game helps our D out a lot.

Yeah the special teams are so important and PSU is strong in every department. Top tier FG kicker, top tier punter, great kickoff guy and an abundance of team speed for coverage.

In the sanctions era PSU lost quite a few heartbreakers just on the strength of poor punting and not enough speed on coverage teams. That is in the rear view mirror now.

 

[PSU Soupy]

It still is college football. The great thing about our offense is that it makes it almost impossible for us to lose to the 6 weakest opponents on our schedule. The other opponents namely: tOsu, U of M, Iowa, Pitt, Northwestern and perhaps Michigan State on any given Saturday we could absolutely get beat with a couple of interceptions and a couple of fumbles etc......it is what makes College Football so fun that every year an Appy State beats a U of M, or Pitt beats Clemson, it logically should not happen, but the stars align and a big upset occurs. The great thing about our offense is that the team can overcome two quick turnovers by scoring on the next 5 possessions.

I remember reading on the U of M and tOSU boards last year that there was no way that either team would have a loss going into the last game of the season, and yet both were knocked off prior to the meeting to gain the 1 seed in the playoff.

 

[Ceasar]

My only issue with the OP is saying that a win at tO$U looks unlikely. We should have one of the best offenses in the country and we have coach that can motivate. tO$U should be worried.

I agree with this. No doubt OSU will be loaded, as they are every year. But I don't see them being better than PSU. The best player on the field will be Barkely. They have nobody in Gesicki's league. Our WR are better. Our OL should match up just fine with any DL in the country. We have a great K, a great P. Our DL dominated OSU last year and both lines (our d-line, their o-line) should be better. They lack a great back and a great WR so there may be a limit to what their offense can do. We saw what Clemson did to their offense.
With all that said, I am not saying we will beat OSU. Home field in Columbus is huge. But I think PSU matches up very favorably.

 

[bdgan]

Akron 95%
Pitt 70%
Georga State 99%
@ Iowa 70%
Indy 80%
@ NW 70%
Michigan 65%
@ OSU 20%
@ MSU 60%
Rutgers 80%
Nebraska 70%
@ MD 65%

Favored in 11 games but an expected value of 7 wins. I'm sticking with 10 wins.

 

[Limestone_Lion]

Akron 95%
Pitt 70%
Georga State 99%
@ Iowa 70%
Indy 80%
@ NW 70%
Michigan 65%
@ OSU 20%
@ MSU 60%
Rutgers 80%
Nebraska 70%
@ MD 65%

Favored in 11 games but an expected value of 7 wins. I'm sticking with 10 wins.

LMFAO at Pitt, MSU, Rutgers, and MD. WTF??? only 80% chance at Rutgers??? What are they basing this on exactly? You will not find one portion of any of their rosters/coaching that match PSU

 

[bdgan]

LMFAO at Pitt, MSU, Rutgers, and MD. WTF??? only 80% chance at Rutgers??? What are they basing this on exactly? You will not find one portion of any of their rosters/coaching that match PSU

Funny response. I think 80% is pretty good odds for winning any conference game. The lower percentages are a reflection of how difficult it is to win B1G games on the road. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

Akron 95%
Pitt 70%
Georga State 99%
@ Iowa 70%
Indy 80%
@ NW 70%
Michigan 65%
@ OSU 20%
@ MSU 60%
Rutgers 80%
Nebraska 70%
@ MD 65%

Favored in 11 games but an expected value of 7 wins. I'm sticking with 10 wins.

I'd drop UM down to 55% and up MSU/MD to 75%

 

[ftlpsu]

Akron 95%
Pitt 70%
Georga State 99%
@ Iowa 70%
Indy 80%
@ NW 70%
Michigan 65%
@ OSU 20%
@ MSU 60%
Rutgers 80%
Nebraska 70%
@ MD 65%

Favored in 11 games but an expected value of 7 wins. I'm sticking with 10 wins.

10-2 at minimum because of some sort of an anomaly but I am confident with 11-1 a close loss to u know who...

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

We gon' ball out. RETURN TO CAMELOT!

 

[bmw199]

Ash needs fast results

Durkin*

 

[NedFromYork]

I expect Mark Allen to have a big year behind Barkley, ahead of Robinson and Sanders.

 

[tboyer]

Durkin*

hehe same difference. Both of them pretty much cried through last year's games with PSU. Hope we'll be seeing more of that, especially Durkin. Not that I have anything against that guy, but Maryland is still owed about another 19 years of bad losses to atone for the no-handshake stunt.

 

[tboyer]

I agree with this. No doubt OSU will be loaded, as they are every year. But I don't see them being better than PSU. The best player on the field will be Barkely. They have nobody in Gesicki's league. Our WR are better. Our OL should match up just fine with any DL in the country. We have a great K, a great P. Our DL dominated OSU last year and both lines (our d-line, their o-line) should be better. They lack a great back and a great WR so there may be a limit to what their offense can do. We saw what Clemson did to their offense.
With all that said, I am not saying we will beat OSU. Home field in Columbus is huge. But I think PSU matches up very favorably.

I don't know how you define "very favorably." But yeah, PSU is going to match up better talent-wise this year than it has in a really long time -- probably 20 years. Franklin has narrowed the talent gap at wideout, in the secondary and probably on the OL. Ohio State has some incredible DL that PSU might have no answer for, and a tailback who will be good competition for Barkley as the best in the league.

 

[tboyer]

I expect Mark Allen to have a big year behind Barkley, ahead of Robinson and Sanders.

Good pt. With a better OL we should see more of what Allen can do in the open field. I wonder if Allen has been able to put on any weight. He'll be a better back at 200 than 180, assuming he can keep his quickness

 

[Howie'81]

I agree the play of the defense will have the biggest impact on the season record. The offense only lost two players (Godwin being a big loss) and has plenty of talent now at WR and OL to replace them. The defense lost a lot more (Bell, Reid and Golden being the biggest) and there is now talent there too, but quality depth at LB is still a concern along with breaking in two new secondary members. The good news is CJF's recruiting makes things a little less scary with attrition/injuries.

Even if the offense performs like the second half of last season, the Rose Bowl shows you still have to keep the opponent from marching up and down the field!

There wasn't a defense in the land that was going to stop Sam Darnold that day.

 

[Howie'81]

My only issue with the OP is saying that a win at tO$U looks unlikely. We should have one of the best offenses in the country and we have coach that can motivate. tO$U should be worried.

You said it brother! I'm guessing Urban fears PSU more than Franklin fears OSU at this point.

 

[indynittany]

I agree with this. No doubt OSU will be loaded, as they are every year. But I don't see them being better than PSU. The best player on the field will be Barkely. They have nobody in Gesicki's league. Our WR are better. Our OL should match up just fine with any DL in the country. We have a great K, a great P. Our DL dominated OSU last year and both lines (our d-line, their o-line) should be better. They lack a great back and a great WR so there may be a limit to what their offense can do. We saw what Clemson did to their offense.
With all that said, I am not saying we will beat OSU. Home field in Columbus is huge. But I think PSU matches up very favorably.

I'd rather have Trace than JT Barrett any day of the week.

This will be the most complete PSU team in a decade and Barkley may be the best player in the nation. These guys know that to achieve their goal, they have to win in Columbus. I understand why OSU might be favored even if both teams come in undefeated, but I'm certainly not conceding anything.

 

[Howie'81]

Akron 95%
Pitt 70%
Georga State 99%
@ Iowa 70%
Indy 80%
@ NW 70%
Michigan 65%
@ OSU 20%
@ MSU 60%
Rutgers 80%
Nebraska 70%
@ MD 65%

Favored in 11 games but an expected value of 7 wins. I'm sticking with 10 wins.

Pitt 70%? That's a joke. PSU is going to absolutely dismantle Pitt in this game. It's going to be ugly for the Panthers. And the OSU game should be 40%.

 

[joeparules]

There wasn't a defense in the land that was going to stop Sam Darnold that day.

Not spectacular, but the defense did a decent job against Darnold until BBell went out with his injury. They clearly couldn't stop him after that. How many times has a team scored SEVEN straight TDs and not won the game?

 

[tboyer]

There wasn't a defense in the land that was going to stop Sam Darnold that day.

I think Franklin has addressed this pretty well. What killed the PSU D was that they couldn't get to Darnold, couldn't pressure him at all. The USC O-line was too good. PSU did a good job containing their run, but at the end of the game, Darnold had pretty much unlimited time. And yes, Darnold might be the second coming of Tom Brady.

 

[CATTY]

I can't believe no one is worried about Pitt. Given Narduzzi's recruiting and defensive prowess... that' a double digit loss.

I wouldn't want to be Pitt this year. Barely beat us last year with a vet defense. Pay back is a bitch!

 

[BiochemPSU]

If the o-line holds up like it did second half of Wisconsin, I don't know if anyone in the Big Ten has the LBs to stop both Barkley and defend the pass with Gesicki. If the offense can score like it did last year, most teams will throw in the towel once we go up by 14 or more.

 

[novaclassof90]

Weapons, weapons, weapons. O line plays up to expectations and we will put points on the board.

Barkley will be the man in the backfield but I gotta believe that Miles Sanders is going to separate from the rest of the backs and put up some very good numbers when taken into fact that he will get limited opportunities behind Sa Sa.

Even with loss of Godwin, stacked at WR position. Hamilton and Blacknall bring back a bunch of experience. Then throw Charles and Irvin in the mix and you have four solid guys. That doesn't even count the return of Polk who could be a legit game breaker, he has wheels.

Finish it off with Gesicki at TE with guys like Holland and Dalton behind him.

A whole lot of options on offense, it should be fun!!!

 

[pandaczar12]

I wouldn't want to be Pitt this year. Barely beat us last year with a vet defense. Pay back is a bitch!

Barely beat us? They forced a wide open receiver to drop the winning TD pass. Later when PSU was in Game tying chip shot FG range with all the momentum, they forced a PSU reciever to run the wrong route leading to an INT. Total domination by Pitt!

 

[Cosmos]

My only issue with the OP is saying that a win at tO$U looks unlikely. We should have one of the best offenses in the country and we have coach that can motivate. tO$U should be worried.

Wow! Two words: Kevin Wilson.

 

[Cosmos]

Weapons, weapons, weapons. O line plays up to expectations and we will put points on the board.

Barkley will be the man in the backfield but I gotta believe that Miles Sanders is going to separate from the rest of the backs and put up some very good numbers when taken into fact that he will get limited opportunities behind Sa Sa.

Even with loss of Godwin, stacked at WR position. Hamilton and Blacknall bring back a bunch of experience. Then throw Charles and Irvin in the mix and you have four solid guys. That doesn't even count the return of Polk who could be a legit game breaker, he has wheels.

Finish it off with Gesicki at TE with guys like Holland and Dalton behind him.

A whole lot of options on offense, it should be fun!!!

Remove SB from the formation and nobody feels threatened. Hamilton shows he can't be the primary (see Rose Bowl). Blacknall runs hot and cold. Charles has the drops (see Wisconsin game). TM's legs will be the difference maker. Just like last year.

 

[ftlpsu]

And what about Juwan Johnson? What's his issue? I think Robinson and Sanders would be a good rotation. Our oline is the best it's been in years.. And yes TMs legs help greatly. Any running QB creates a threat for a defense.

 

[bjf1991]

Couple questions arise from this thread:

1 - Has Cosmos ever seen a football game?

2 - Has Cosmos ever seen a football game sober?

 

[Lion8286]

Remove SB from the formation and nobody feels threatened. Hamilton shows he can't be the primary (see Rose Bowl). Blacknall runs hot and cold. Charles has the drops (see Wisconsin game). TM's legs will be the difference maker. Just like last year.

Still drunk? Another imaginary friend die?

 

[PSUcup1]

I expect Mark Allen to have a big year behind Barkley, ahead of Robinson and Sanders.

I don't expect to see him ahead of Robinson and Sanders ...

 

[lionroar88]

Akron 99%
Pitt 90%
Georgia State 99%
@ Iowa 70%
Indiana 85%
@ NW 75%
Michigan 70%
@ OSU 50% - at this point in time this is the only toss-up game on our schedule
@ MSU 70%
Rutgers 95%
Nebraska 85%
@ MD 80% - if this game is at M&T Bank Stadium raise it to 90%

The DL rotated 13 players last season and there was zero drop-off no matter who was in, and they only lost 2 DE. This is the deepest area in the D, LB is going to be deeper as well, secondary is the ? due to the loss of Reid, going to need young guns to step up and provide quality secondary depth.

 

[PSU87]

Wow! Two words: Kevin Wilson.

Can he teach JT how to throw?