We Are Penn State, We Are in Patrick Lacey's Preseason Top 25

#24 Penn State Nittany Lions

    Anthony Morelli is gone and for Penn State, that's a good thing. Although there is some controversy over who the starting QB will be, both Daryll Clark and Pat Devlin are more talented and more capable of running the spread offense the Nittany Lions are trying to incorporate this season.

    Penn State also has one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the country and should easily be 4-0 when Big Ten play comes around. Throw in the easy schedule with seven returning starters on offense, eight returning on D, and one legendary coach returning for his 59th season, you've got to like Penn State's chances to compete in the Big Ten this season.

        Strengths

• The best returning WR core in the Big Ten should be able to stretch the field and will compliment their power running attack
• One of the most solid offensive lines in the Big Ten should give whoever is playing QB plenty of time to throw and plenty of holes to run through
• Two words... Joe Paterno

        Weaknesses

• Although losing Morelli is an upgrade, having two quarterbacks could cause some problems with the offense
• Conference schedule, with games at Purdue, at Wisconsin, and at Ohio State, the Nittany Lions could possibly lose all three.
• Off the field issues... DT's Chris Baker and Phil Taylor have already been kicked off the team, and some sources suggest that this may only be the beginning.

       Schedule

• Aug 30 vs. Coastal Carolina
• Sep 6 vs. Oregon State
• Sep 13 at Syracuse
• Sep 20 vs. Temple
• Sep 27 vs. Illinois
• Oct 4 at Purdue
• Oct 11 at Wisconsin
• Oct 18 vs. Michigan
• Oct 25 at Ohio State
• Nov 8 at Iowa
• Nov 15 vs. Indiana
• Nov 22 vs. Michigan State

    Bold=Conference game

    I think that Penn State will have a better season this year, since the Big Ten is a little bit weaker than usual. However, a little bit weaker is still one of the better conferences in the country, so I don't expect the Nittany Lions to come out of conference play with less than three losses.

    Final Projected Record: 8-4