Penn State #2 in AP poll
- Thread starter NC2017
- Start date
Sheriff Coffee
Well-known member
Anywhere in the top 5 is OK to start. —This is the best returning offense since 1994. If they can stay relatively healthy, they’ll be ridiculous. —Defense will be very good, although not deep at a couple of positions. A handful of of young pups will play on “D” this year
RickinDayton
Well-known member
SEC with 10 teams in Top 25. Really? How are Oklahoma and Texas A&M in this poll?
That’s what you call “ establishing a narrative “. They’ll beat each other up and say a 3 or 4 loss SEC team is better than a 2 loss……name your conference
Sheriff Coffee
Well-known member
You are probably correct. The game now is to see how many teams you can get into the playoffs.
My guess is that if you go through the season with a loss, you are OK. But two losses and you are marginal. It is possible that both the B1G and SEC have several two-loss teams. In most seasons, before last year, if you had two losses, you were out. But tOSU had a tough loss to Oregon and got physically beaten by UM. In most years, you'd be out. Now, we have the first two-loss national champion, so everyone thinks they can be the second. Credit to tOSU using the loss to UM as motivation to win a natty.
Sheriff Coffee
Well-known member
RickinDayton
Well-known member
Yep.
My gosh, it seems like the Good Old Days!
So much pressure on the coach. Top-10 Oregon in late September, after 3 walk-over games, is huge. We don't win that, and the media and a large portion of the fan base will be in full throat with the Big Game James sneers.
For now, though, it's all pretty exciting. We've got a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but the key guy is Drew. He's been good...and he's made progress...but he has to finally break through to elite status if this team is going to perform to the lofty pre-season expectations.
LudicrousSpeedGO!
Well-known member
Surprised Iowa isn't a little higher in the others receiving votes. I'm not sure that I'd have Nebraska above them.
Did Nixon vote in this poll?
RickinDayton
Well-known member
Aha! Throw back to the late sixties when PSU was robbed of a final #1 ranking after earning it on the field of play?
I think we have a touch more fear/respect/dread of Iowa than they have nationally as a program. That 8 out of 9 losses to them in the early 2000s has simply scarred many.
The big problem with Iowa is that unless they return a lot, they don't get rated highly out of the gate. They replace all of their LBs, and they haven't been great on the OL since that '21 season.
And this is exactly the type of team that could be hard to put away early. Just because they are flying under the radar and nobody expects it.
Indynittany
Active member
I think the key guy is CJF. I want to see him keep his wits about him when things get tight. I want him to let the players play and the coaches coach. I want him to stay loose and have fun in the big moments. He's put together a great team. Turn 'em loose!
Against Texas, no less. We both had similar seasons last year, making the semi-final and losing competitive games. Texas was in the
playoff the year before, so maybe an edge there. But we have a 3rd-year QB, and they are breaking in a new starter, no matter who his uncles are. I'd give us a slight edge right now. Plus, they will quite possibly lose to Ohio State in Columbus to start the season.
Similar threads
