Penn State football regular season record predictions
Our staff at Nittany Lions Wire is going on the record with our Penn State regular-season record predictions for the upcoming season. As you can see, we are all feeling pretty confident in Penn State's success this regular season, but winning every game is a slightly different story.
Here are our Penn State final record predictions for the 2025 season.
Christopher Sheppard: 11-1
If all goes well for Penn State this season, they could be looking at an 11-1 regular season with the sole loss coming to the Buckeyes on the road. With not too many road tests, most of the Nittany Lions' toughest hurdles will come at home. Starting with their Whiteout matchup in Week 4 against the Oregon Ducks, Penn State will be looking for revenge and should overwhelm a new-look Ducks roster despite the hype around 5-star receiver Dakorien Moore. Indiana could prove to be another feisty opponent at Beaver Stadium, but without an established RB tandem and only one top wideout, the pace of the game could be a stretch for the Hoosiers. Their toughest stretch could be that two-game slate in Weeks 6 and 8, where they have games on the road against Iowa and Ohio State. They do have the week off before their matchup with the Buckeyes, but a potentially grueling matchup against that feisty Iowa defense could have a toll. They should survive a scare in Iowa City, but may not have enough in the tank against the Buckeyes despite the bye week.
Therefore, when the dust settles on the 2025 season, Penn State's only blemish will be against their rivals on and off the field. Nevertheless, they could get a chance at redemption in the Big Ten title game due to the new format. That's all they can truly ask for in a scenario like this.
Sam Woloson: 11-1
I have Penn State cruising by its three nonconference games before meeting Oregon (ranked No. 7 in the US LBM Coaches Poll). I think the Nittany Lions squeak by in the Big Ten championship game rematch behind their White Out crowd to move to 4-0.
Next, Penn State should beat UCLA and Northwestern. I expect the road game against Iowa to be a tight one, but I think the Nittany Lions offense will outperform the Hawkeyes when it counts. That brings us to Ohio State (No. 2 in the coaches poll). The Buckeyes are the reigning champs and still really, really good, and I don't think Penn State will be able to beat them on the road. The curse continues, at least in the regular season.
From there, the Nittany Lions will win out to finish the regular season 11-1, likely good enough to make the Big Ten title game again. I expect Indiana (No. 19 in the coaches poll) and Nebraska to be tough opponents down the stretch, but I predict Penn State will get the job done.
Toluwani Akintunde: 10-2
I think Penn State runs through the early part of the schedule and gets a statement win over Oregon at home. The two toughest games are at Ohio State and at Iowa. One of those could go either way. I think they split those two and maybe slip up once late. But even at 10-2, this team is playoff-caliber and should be in the Big Ten title game if the tiebreakers fall their way.
Andrew Deal: 12-0
With my bold prediction for the 2025 season being Penn State defeating Ohio State in Columbus, it would only make sense for an undefeated year. Penn State's arguably second-hardest game is a home game against Oregon in the whiteout. Other than those two top-10 ranked opponents, the schedule is relatively easy despite some potential trap games.
The Nittany Lions are applying the formula that Michigan used two seasons ago and Ohio State used last year, returning a lot of their production while adding pieces in the transfer portal to fill holes on the roster. The talent on Penn State this upcoming season is one of, if not the best in the entire country, and an undefeated season would live up to those expectations.
Kevin McGuire: 11-1
Penn State is going to be favored to win every game on its scheduile, with the possible exception of its road game at Ohio State on Nov. 1. That is the one game I pencil in as a loss this season based mostly on history in this series suggesting Penn State is more likely to take the loss than celebrate a win. But the Nittany Lions should win every other game on the schedule. The three additional games on my radar as potential hiccups will be the home games against Oregon and Indiana and the road game at Iowa. Nebraska, toward the end of the season, could become interesting if the Cornhuskers get off to a good start, but anything fewer than 10 wins would be a bit shocking for this team.
Previous: Our defensive MVP predictions for Penn State
Coming up next week: Our preseason Big Ten predictions
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
College Football Playoff: Big Ten floats 24-plus-team format
New college football playoff formats of 20-plus teams are being explored by leaders in the Big Ten, and perhaps the SEC too. Big Ten executives are socializing 24 and 28-team College Football Playoff brackets that feature as many as seven automatic qualifiers each for the Big Ten and SEC, five each for the Big 12 and ACC, two for the best Group of 6 programs and two at-large selections. Those briefed on the idea, most of them leading administrators in the Big Ten, spoke to Yahoo Sports under condition of anonymity about the so-called '7-7-5-5-2-2' model. Those with knowledge of the discussions caution that the concept is in the infancy stage of development and may undergo significant changes or be dismissed entirely once introduced to the full CFP group. For now, it remains a talking point within the two leagues that control decision making over the future CFP format beyond this year. One high-level source described it as a 'barely baked idea' and emphasized that it is in no way certain to gain approval any time soon. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey held a preliminary call to exchange thoughts on the idea on Friday. The concept, if implemented, could trigger massive change, both in the historic nature of how regular season games are scheduled and the annual season-ending conference championship games. League title games, made more irrelevant in the expanded playoff era, may be eliminated as a requirement in scheduling the five rounds of the playoff — something administrators have openly acknowledged in the past. Specific rules of the concept are not necessarily solidified, but, presumably, the format will allow for the top four seeds to receive a first-round bye. Currently, the CFP selection committee seeds the teams based on the group's rankings. Conferences would presumably hold discretion in determining their qualifiers, a decision that likely focuses on league standings. Eliminating conference championship games — the first weekend of December — would set in motion the ability to play at least the first round of the playoffs on the second week of the month, when no NFL games are played, a savvy maneuver to avoid competing with big brother. The 12-team CFP's first round falls on the third weekend of December, in direct competition with the NFL. The addition of a fifth postseason round also opens the possibility for the first two rounds to be hosted on the campus of the higher-seeded program. Currently, only the first round is on campus before the six major bowls host the quarterfinals and semifinals. The national championship game is rotated in a bidding process. The 28-team concept is only the latest format proposed to expand the current version of the field. The Big Ten proposed last year and again earlier this spring a 16-team bracket with four automatic qualifiers for the SEC and Big Ten, two for the ACC and Big 12, one for the best among the Group of 6 and three at-large. Though it received pushback from many corners, most notably among leaders in the ACC and Big 12, SEC administrators deeply explored the model with intentions to support it before their head football coaches spoke out against the format during spring meetings in May. Those from the Big 12 and ACC, as well as SEC coaches, swung their support behind what's termed a '5+11' format, which is similar to the current CFP model with the addition of four at-large selections. The five highest-ranked conference champions each earn an automatic berth. Any future format is not necessarily a group decision among the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director that make up the CFP governing committee. As part of the CFP's new six-year extension signed last year, the nine other members granted the SEC and Big Ten control on any future format as long as those two conferences hold 'meaningful' conversation with the others. The Big Ten's proposed '4-4-2-2-1-3' model drew sharp criticism from many others, most notably Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark who 'doubled down' during his football media days last month about his desire to avoid any pro-like format with multiple automatic qualifiers for a single league. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips spoke out against it, too, describing the format as 'predetermining' a playoff field before the season began. The leagues, as well as many in the Group of 6, threw their support behind the 5+11 format and so, too, did the SEC coaches and some of their athletic directors who pointed to the possibility of increasing the chances of qualifying more teams in a format with a bigger at-large pool. However, in the midst of the playoff debate is an internal conversation within the SEC that's now spanned more than four years: Should the league move to nine conference games from its current eight-game schedule? The Big Ten has pushed back against agreeing to any playoff format with a big at-large pool if the SEC remains at eight games. SEC athletic directors meet next week in Birmingham where these topics, and many more, are expected to be discussed. Any shift toward a playoff with multiple automatic spots per league may be a contributing element in the conference moving to a nine-game conference schedule. Already, the financial incentive to do so exists: ESPN and the SEC have for months now been in negotiations for additional revenue - as much as $5 million annual per school - if the conference adds a ninth game. Meanwhile, the CFP is in the midst of adjusting its selection criteria to increase the weight of a team's strength of schedule - a divisive issue among Big Ten and SEC leaders who claim that their league schedules are tougher than that of other conferences. The CFP staff proposed to commissioners an adjustment to the committee's strength of schedule ranking that gives more weight to games played, for instance, against the top 30-40 programs in the country. Secondly, a new data point, 'strength of record,' has been created that grants more weight to good wins and doesn't penalize as much a program for losses against ranked or top teams. The new selection criteria was introduced to the CFP selection committee - a group made up mostly athletic directors and former coaches - during their annual August meeting earlier this week. A deadline looms for a decision for the 2026 playoff. While this year is set at the current 12-team format, leaders must decide on the 2026 format by Dec. 1 - a deadline date that ESPN gave to CFP leaders.
USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN makes Georgia football bowl predictions
ESPN has released their 2025 college football bowl projections and both ESPN analysts Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura predict that the Georgia Bulldogs will make the College Football Playoff. Bonagura predicts that Georgia will have the highest ranked team that does not get a first-round bye. He thinks Georgia will end up as the No. 5 seed and will host the No. 12 seed Boise State Broncos on Friday, Dec. 19 or Saturday, Dec. 20. The Georgia-Boise State game would be held at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. Bonagura thinks Georgia will prevail against Boise State and advance to play No. 4 seed Clemson in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. Bonagura thinks Georgia will beat Clemson in the quarterfinals before losing to No. 1 seed Texas in the semifinals (Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona). He has Texas playing against his No. 2 seed Penn State in the national championship, which will be held in Miami. Schlabach has a similar projection for Georgia. He thinks the Bulldogs will end up as the No. 4 seed and have a first-round bye. He likes the talent Georgia has on its roster even though the Dawgs have a new starting quarterback in Gunner Stockton. Schlabach thinks Georgia, along with Alabama and Texas, could win the SEC. He predicts Georgia will play, and beat, the No. 5 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After advancing to the semifinals, Schlabach thinks Georgia will lose to No. 1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl. Schlabach has Texas defeating No. 2 seed Clemson to win the national championship. Georgia enters the 2025 season with more modest expectations. However, if this Georgia team can grow over the course of the season, stay healthy at quarterback and other key positions, then we think Georgia is capable of making a championship run. Georgia is going to have to rely a lot on their sophomores, which are part of a former No. 1 recruiting class. As the season progresses, we envision Georgia growing in confidence and being a contender in the playoff. Follow UGAWire on Instagram or Threads!
USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
Big Ten reportedly floating radical new College Football Playoff idea
The future of the College Football Playoff has been a key topic of discussion all offseason. ESPN secured a six-year, $7.8 billion contract that ensures the network will remain the sole media rights holder of the event through the 2031-32 season in March of 2024. But, whether or not the CFP stays at a 12-team model or expands has been one of the hot button issues of college football. After plenty of back-and-forth and a spring and summer full of discussion and disagreements, the Big Ten has suddenly introduced a radical new idea for the CFP's future. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Big Ten has floated the idea of massive expansion to the College Football Playoff that could bring the postseason field to 24 or 28 teams. While Thamel reports that the idea is in its very early stages, the proposal eliminates conference title games and offers a large number of auto bids for all four power leagues, sources said. In the proposed 28-team CFP model, the Big Ten and SEC would each get seven auto bids while the ACC and Big 12 would each receive five. There would be two auto bids for the non-Power 4 conferences and two at-large teams. The 28-team format would put 20 playoff games on campus, which would accentuate the success of that from last year's CFP. The CFP Committee would seed the field and pick the at-large teams. Per Thamel, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti ran the idea by his conference Wednesday, sources said, and that it has begun being shared by others. In order to expand the playoff before the 2026 season, the expectation is that leaders need to reach a resolution before the end of this year. Momentum for a 16-team CFP format picked up steam throughout the spring, but leaders throughout college athletics haven't seen eye to eye on exactly how bids to a 16-team CFP would be awarded. The 5+11 model is supported by both the Big 12 and the ACC and it gained more support from the SEC after the league's spring meetings. The 5+11 model would include the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large bids. Another 16-team CFP model featured the Big Ten and SEC each receiving four automatic bids, the ACC and Big 12 receiving a pair of automatic qualifiers, one bid to the Group of 6 champion and then three at-large bids. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnHawks
