Coming off a 10-2 regular season and about to make an appearance in the Rose Bowl with a pair of Big Ten teams playing in the College Football Playoff, Penn State appears to be trending in a good direction heading into next season. The mix of young running stars in the making on both sides of the football and the upside potential of quarterback Drew Allar give the Nittany Lions a good foundation to continue building off of next fall. Because of that, Penn State is among the schools that should be grouped in a conversation about teams on the rise going into next year.
Josh Pate, host of Late Kick with Josh Pate, listed off his small list of programs on the rise going into the 2023 season. Among those mentioned was Penn State.
“I believe in giving credit when people do what they’re supposed to do,” Pate said when reflecting on how Penn State ended the regular season after suffering losses to Michigan and Ohio State and having the nation essentially tune out of Penn State for the remainder of the season. “They did what they were supposed to do. There was never an ounce of quit.”
“We know what’s about to happen at quarterback. We know it’s the Drew Allar era,” Pate mentioned. “They finish 10-2 this year… program’s fine, trending in the right direction. Should be getting prepared to have some of the best quarterback play they’ve had under James Franklin.”
Other schools Pate mentioned as being on the rise included TCU, Florida State, USC, and LSU.
Penn State will face Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2023. Penn State opens the 2023 season at home against West Virginia on September 2, 2023.
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