The Penn State Nittany Lions face a rather challenging schedule in the 2021 college football season, but a bit of a rebound season seems to be expected by many. After a disaster of a 2020 season, Penn State is gearing up for a return to a winning season this fall with plenty of reasons to be optimistic. But just how many games will Penn State grab this season?
CBS Sports recently took a look at the projected win totals for every team in the Big Ten and gave recommendations from Tom Fornelli on whether to take the over or the under on each. With Penn State’s win total being set at nine, the Nittany Lions are a tough pick to make given the strength of schedule facing them.
But after suggesting Penn State could end up being a push, meaning nine wins could be the final number, Fornelli leans toward taking the over for Penn State. Here’s what he had to say about Penn State’s season and his reasoning for going over;
This is another situation like Michigan where the total takes a little too much from the 2020 season in the projection. It’s also another pick in which I think there’s a strong chance you’re sitting around for months waiting to push. In the end, I don’t see Penn State winning road games against Wisconsin and Ohio State very often, but I do think it will be favored in its other 10 games. Even if it slips up somewhere, I see 9-3 happening a lot more often than 8-4.
Penn State is a slight underdog on the road in the season opener at Wisconsin according to BetMGM. And Penn State goes on the road to two intimidating environments this season at Iowa and Ohio State. Throw in home games against Auburn, Indiana, and Michigan and you can potentially see why going over nine wins may be a tough sell for some who remember the dreadful 0-5 start to the season in 2020.
But as Fornelli points out, don’t let the 2020 season cloud your vision too much. Penn State’s 2020 season was far from the level of play the program had experienced in the years leading up to it. And given a more regular offseason and a full spring practice schedule behind them, perhaps Penn State is primed to go over nine wins and return to a notable bowl game in 2021.
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