Penn State's biggest question in 2023 revealed

A puzzle can have the best pieces in the world, but it’s useless if it’s not put together. Penn State football needs to solve its puzzle this season.

Penn State on top

On Monday, On3’s own JD Pickell discussed the biggest questions surrounding the teams in the Big Ten Conference. His thoughts on Penn State, who went 10-2 last season, might surprise you.

“You look across the roster at Penn State and all of the pieces are there to put together a team that can win the Big Ten,” Pickell said. “You look at the manual, you have all the pieces to put together a machine.”

Of course, in a conference like the Big Ten, there a couple significant obstacles blocking that machine from reaching its destination. Those obstacles are Michigan and Ohio State, the two teams Penn State fell to last season.

Upset potential

While these powerhouse programs will surely be ranked above Penn State again this season, Pickell isn’t convinced Penn State is an automatic win.

“Are they the favorite in Vegas? No. But you better believe when they play Ohio State, when they play Michigan, those will be games where they throw their absolute best punches at both those teams. And, they better be ready,” Pickell said.

Young star

Penn State’s sophomore quarterback Drew Allar is the fuel behind Pickell’s message. As a freshman sitting behind Penn State legend Sean Clifford, Allar got limited playing time. Nonetheless, when Allar touched the field, he made an impact.

Penn State HC James Franklin tells @jdpickell there is 'a lot of excitement' around Sophomore QB Drew Allar heading into next season👀https://t.co/Np50O5h6ed pic.twitter.com/I4o2YnEztA

— On3 (@On3sports) May 25, 2023

The former five-star quarterback appeared in 10 contests, completing 35-of-60 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns. Pickell believes the new face behind center could lead to new results for the Nittany Lions.

“The governor in this car the last couple of years, the people at Happy Valley would tell you was Sean Clifford. Well, now you take that governor off and you got a five-star quarterback walking in there in Drew Allar. Well, now what? Now, what can’t we do? Now, why should we win the Big Ten? That’s how they feel.”

The voice of Penn State

Pickell isn’t strictly speculating. The voice at On3 was lucky enough to talk with Penn State head coach James Franklin last week. While the 51-year-old head coach was confident in his team, he insisted his team will take it one day at a time.

“If we can build on that Week 1 and get better each week of the season to put us in the best position to compete for a Big Ten championship and get a chance to get into those plays, and see where it goes from there, that’s what’s important to us,” Franklin said.