Now that spring football practices are in the rearview mirror, the next round of assessments of teams heading into the 2024 season is making the rounds. Penn State is hoping for big results this fall with a new offensive coordinator looking to inject new life into the offense and a new defensive coordinator looking to simply keep things chugging along at a high level the program has grown accustomed to in recent years. And with the Big Ten set to open a new era with another round of expansion in the same year the College Football Playoff is ready to expand once again, Penn State could be right in the thick of an exciting playoff chase.
So where does Penn State fit into the national picture now that spring football practices are all wrapped up? According to ESPN’s post-spring top 25 rankings, the Nittany Lions are right on the cusp of a spot in the College Football Playoff.
ESPN ranked Penn State at no. 12 in the post-spring rankings, which puts them on the brink of a spot in a 12-team College Football Playoff. The addition of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is viewed as a strong positive for the program this fall, but the biggest concern is a pretty obvious one with wide receiver depth in the spotlight.
There are three other Big Ten teams getting a higher post-spring ranking from ESPN, however. Ohio State (no. 2 overall) takes the top ranking among Big Ten programs. Only Georgia comes out ahead of the Buckeyes in these rankings. Incoming Big Ten contender Oregon takes the no. 4 ranking and defending Big Ten and national champion Michigan is ranked no. 10 by ESPN.
Other teams ahead of Penn State in ESPN’s post-spring top 25 are Texas (no. 3), Notre Dame (no. 5), Ole Miss (no. 6), Alabama (no. 7), Missouri (no. 8), Utah (no. 9), and Florida State (no. 11).
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