Penn State had 'best imaginable start' for CFP chances, Bill Connelly writes: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for Sept. 4 include the Nittany Lions’ outlook after a Week 1 win, headlines of the day, and more. It’s time to dive into the top stories and more about head coach James Franklin’s program and college athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
ESPN college football writer and SP+ creator Bill Connelly has put out his overreactions from Week 1. Penn State made the cut. He now projects the Nittany Lions to win the Big Ten following their 34-12 blowout win over West Virginia.
“This was the best imaginable start for the Nittany Lions,” Connelly writes. “In Friday’s Week 1 mega-preview, I wrote, “Penn State could benefit as much as anyone from the playoff’s expansion. Per ESPN Analytics, James Franklin’s team enters 2024 with a 59% chance of dancing, the fifth best overall odds. … The road to a huge win total looks relatively clear if two new coordinator hires — Andy Kotelnicki on offense, Tom Allen on defense — stick as well as most of Franklin’s previous coordinator hires have. If there are any growing pains, however, 2024 could start on a pretty sour note.”
“There were no growing pains whatsoever. Kotelnicki immediately imbued Allar with both a confidence and an aggression he didn’t seem to have last season, Singleton looked like the 2022 version of Singleton again (after a disappointing sophomore campaign), and Allen’s defense held the Mountaineers to a below-average success rate (38%) with the same number of takeaways (three) as gains of more than 20 yards allowed. With Oregon and Michigan both looking like they were in second gear and Ohio State in third gear at best, Penn State was the class of the Big Ten’s elite in Week 1. Now all it has to do is keep it up.”
Headlines of the day
Does Penn State have a diamond in the rough at edge rusher?: Flounders, PennLive
Beaver Stadium work, the non-conference schedule, and more: What’s on the Penn State to-do list in September?: Pickel, BWI
Did Penn State’s Defense Start 2024 Even Better Than 2023?: Woloson, SI
Elite 2027 prospect set to visit Penn State this weekend: Snyder, BWI
Penn State announces changes to Beaver Stadium for 2024 season: Haas, Daily Collegian
Penn State adds elite in-state target to Saturday’s Bowling Green visitor list: Snyder, BWI
College Football Playoff Rankings after Week 1: Top 4 seeds, at-large bids, bracket prediction: Simonton, On3
Quote of the day
“When I go on the field, you’re not allowed to have two helmet communications, so I have to have a different helmet when we have two quarterback things. When it’s just me in the game, I had to have a different helmet, changing helmets is something we practiced, switching helmets and getting used to it. As far as Coach K in the ear, he doesn’t pop too many jokes. Sometimes it’s hard to hear, especially in loud atmospheres, so he tries to remain calm and be crystal clear with what he’s saying, because sometimes it can be hard to hear.”
–PSU QB Beau Pribula.
