After winning the Rose Bowl and picking up 11 wins last season, the expectations for Penn State have been raised heading into the 2023 season. The Nittany Lions were a trendy team appearing in the way-too-early top 25 rankings shortly after the culmination of the 2022 season and the bowl season despite losing some key players and searching for some new starters at key positions in 2023.
But the hype and the expectations for Penn State being so lofty are fair and earned for the Nittany Lions. Josh Pate, host of Late Kick with Josh Pate, says you better believe that Penn State will be a Big Ten title contender and playoff contender.
“Penn State in 2023 is a team I think you need to have an eye on,” Pate said on a recent episode of Late Kick With Josh Pate. “Just because it has not been does not mean it cannot be.”
Pate’s comment was in response to those who suggest Penn State is doomed to come up short of the big goals this season. And, to be fair, Penn State has come up short in some of its biggest tests in recent years, most notably in games against Ohio State and Michigan.
Since 2015 they’re 4-12 against Ohio State and Michigan, but the Nittany Liosn are also 44-12 against the rest of the Big Ten in that span. The point is it doesn’t take much to take the step toward more national relevance. If all it takes is a win against Ohio State or Michigan, there is no reason to believe that cannot happen for Penn State. And as long as the Nittany Lions clean up the rest of the schedule, a split with Ohio State and Michigan may be all that is needed to get into a four-team playoff (as was the case for Ohio State last season at 11-1).
“This team is a threat to make the playoff this year,” Pate went on to say. “This team is a real threat to win the Big Ten and it’s not going to be a fizzle job.”
“They are set up for a sustained run.”
You can see the full explanation for Penn State’s rising expectations in 2023 from Pate in the video below.
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