The release of the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll on Monday showed Penn State is right to have a bit of a chip on its shoulder this fall. The Nittany Lions were left just off the final cut of the preseason coaches poll, coming in just second among the others receiving votes.
But was it right to leave Penn State off the preseason poll, or did the coaches get it wrong? According to at least one college football writer, Penn State was snubbed.
Scooby Axson of USA TODAY broke down the preseason coaches poll and listed the five schools he felt were snubbed by the voters. Among the teams was Penn State.
[lawrence-related id=21553]
“Quarterback Sean Clifford is back for a sixth year, and coach James Franklin vowed to the Happy Valley fan base that whatever issues have plagued his team over the past two years that it will get fixed,” Axson. Franklin has stressed the importance of letting his players, specifically the offensive line, allow their play to do the talking for them this season.
But Axson pointed out a couple of areas of concern based on last season, neither of which should be too surprising to Penn State fans.
“Here is an alarming thing they can start with: No running back gained 100 yards in any game in 2021,” Axson noted. “As with all of the teams on this snubs list, replacing departed production will mean success in 2022. In this case, it’s the 91 catches of Jahan Dotson, now in the NFL.”
Fortunately, Franklin does believe his roster has the depth to make up for the loss of Dotson and the running back position looks to be pretty solid as well.
See what other teams made Axson’s list of snubbed teams from the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
[mm-video type=video id=01g9z7kse2kxd6eb7ttt playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g9z7kse2kxd6eb7ttt/01g9z7kse2kxd6eb7ttt-e0ea5ef452348db626fcaadbf752acd1.jpg]
[listicle id=21510]
[lawrence-related id=21829,21823,21798,21788,21782]
Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.