Preseason college football preview season is officially underway with preview coverage beginning to fly all over the place and conference media days on tap throughout the month of July. Before you know it, Penn State will be kicking things off in a primetime season opener against West Virginia.
One of the benchmarks of the summer preview season is the release of the Phil Steele college football preview magazine, a yearly staple for many college football fans. I know I have spent more than a few days on the beach combing through the pages of Steele’s annual preseason bible of college football information and statistics. Steele just so happens to be one of the college football gurus who believes Penn State is in for a pretty good year on the football field.
Steele ranks Penn State at sixth in his preseason top 25, putting the Nittany Lions just on the outside of an elusive berth in the College Football Playoff but still in line for a trip to a New Years Six bowl game.
Steele’s top four teams in 2023 are Georgia, Clemson, Michigan, and Alabama, respectively. Ohio State is Steele’s fifth team in the rankings, just ahead of the Nittany Lions. With Michigan also ranked ahead of Penn State, the Nittany Lions are set for another third-place finish in the Big Ten East Division, similar to last season.
Georgia has become an easy name to put at the top of the list of any college football preview ranking this year. After winning back-to-back national titles and appearing to have another loaded roster ready to dominate this fall, Georgia should remain difficult to beat. Michigan, coming off back-to-back Big Ten titles and playoff appearances, also appears to be on solid footing for another potential trip to the playoff, and the Wolverines have trending ahead of Ohio State and Penn State in the previews this year once again.
Penn State has widely been considered a team that should be a top-10 team this season, and finishing behind Michigan and Ohio State has been a common theme. All it could potentially take for Penn State to get into the playoff could be splitting its games against the Buckeyes and Wolverines, as long as it it doesn’t slip up elsewhere on the schedule.
Of course, beating Ohio State AND Michigan would put Penn State in the driver’s seat. Could this possibly be the year? Steele thinks Penn State will at least be in the race.
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