Can Penn State Win the National Championship this Season?

According to the AP pollsters, Penn State is the second-best team in the land. And according to the current odds at sportsbooks, they are #4 overall in odds to win the national championship (+700 at SportsBetting.ag).

Coming into the office to write this article I must say that I have a good feeling about Penn State this year. But I am blanking that feeling from my mind and will simply layout what I find when creating this article.

Penn State returns 14 starters from last year’s squad. That team went 10-3 overall, losing in the semi-final round of the playoffs to Notre Dame. Back under center is 4th year man Drew Allar. He had an impressive statline last season throwing for 3,327 yards – 25 TDs – 8 INTs. The season before he threw for 24 TDs and only 2 INTs. His completion % rose from 59.9 to 66.5. He is a great QB and is #10 on the Heisman odds list at +2000 (BetOnline.ag).

What makes this offense even more scary than a three-year starting QB who gets better every season is the fact that they are returning their two star running backs as well. Both rushed for over 1,000 yards and were the top duo at running back in the nation.

Kaytron Allen: Rushed for 1,108 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2024.
Nick Singleton: Rushed for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024.

Penn State had an influx of transfers, some of which are expected to get reps from day one. Most notably are wide receivers Trevor Pena, Devonte Ross, and Kyron Hudson, as well as defensive lineman Enai White.

Defense

Look for defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, defensive tackle Zane Durant, linebacker Tony Rojas, cornerback A.J. Harris, and safety Zakee Wheatley to dominate offenses this season. This squad ranked #7 in the nation last year and I expect them to be even better this year.

They allowed just 294 ypg and just 16.5 PPG. They held almost every opponent they faced to 2 scores or less.

Schedule

The schedule looks very favorable this season (see down below). They don’t have to face off against USC again, a game they almost lost. In fact, I don’t think they’ll face a serious threat until November 1st when they head to Ohio State. OSU are the reigning champs but lost a ton of talent to the draft, including their star QB. This is a game that Penn State could win.

Yes, Oregon is on the schedule, but they have to come to Happy Valley, and they are missing their top QB from last season as well. I think an undefeated Penn State heading into the playoffs is a very real scenario. Penn State’s total win over/under is sitting at 10.5 games at SportsBetting.ag – I think the Over (+105) is a winner.

I also think they have a very strong shot at winning the championship. If Arch Manning and Texas struggle at all this season you will probably see PSU ranked #1 going into the playoffs and be favored to win it all. This team is solid from top down. If they win, it will be their first national title in 40 years.

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