Where is Penn State in the early top 25 rankings for the 2023 season?
Penn State finished the 2022 season at No. 7 in the final Associated Press top 25. It is poised to start the 2023 slate inside the top 10, as well.
Early rankings and oddsmakers’ opinions in the future market have head coach James Franklin’s team anywhere from a top-five team to No. 9 nationally. Sporting News places the Lions in the latter spot in its early rankings rundown.
“James Franklin broke the losing streak against top-10 teams with Penn State’s impressive 35-14 victory against Utah in the Rose Bowl,” Bill Bender writes. “Now, the Drew Allar era at quarterback begins, and running back Nick Singleton seems primed to be one of the best running backs in the country. Tackle Olu Fashanu is back, too. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz returns a solid unit that features Abdul Carter and Kalen King. This might be their best team since the 2016 Big Ten championship team. Michigan visits Happy Valley, and the Nittany Lions have to win at Ohio State. The stakes have not changed.”
At ESPN, Mark Schlabach slots Penn State at No. 6. As his piece notes, the Lions are poised to return roughly half of their starters from this year’s team.
“After a couple of mediocre seasons, coach James Franklin has the Nittany Lions headed back in the right direction,” Schlabach writes. “Penn State won 11 games in 2022 and might be poised to challenge Michigan and Ohio State for a Big Ten title.”
Lions could be a top five team in 2023
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic also has the Lions at No. 6. Pro Football Focus puts the team at No. 7. Bleacher Report has them at No. 6, too, while USA Today puts James Franklin’s team at No. 5.
However, the highest early ranking comes from Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated. He has PSU at No. 4.
“If ever the Nittany Lions are going to break to the Michigan–Ohio State grip on the Big Ten East, this could be the time,” Forde writes. “They have a pair of running backs returning who rushed for more than 1,900 yards combined in 2022. Everyone is excited about quarterback Drew Allar. Left tackle Olu Fashanu, a projected first-round pick, has already announced he will bypass the draft and stay in school.
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“Linebacker Abdul Carter was one of the best freshmen in the country on that side of the ball in ’22, and North Carolina transfer defensive back Storm Duck will fill a need. The schedule is manageable, with an intriguing potential advantage in the middle: Penn State’s two weeks before playing at Ohio State on Oct. 21 are an open date and a walkover against Massachusetts.”
As for the oddsmakers, FanDuel lists the Lions as one of five teams with 20-to-1 odds to win next year’s College Football Playoff. Georgia is 3-to-1 to win its third straight CFP. And, in the Heisman betting market, Drew Allar is 20-to-1 and Nicholas Singleton 40-to-1 to win.
Put it all together, and it goes without saying that expectations will be extremely high for the Lions in 2023.
Penn State has been a preseason top 10 team in three of James Franklin’s nine year. The highest was when it was No. 6 before the 2017 season. It will look to match or top that this time around.
