College Football

CFB Top 50, #4: 2025 Penn State Nittany Lions

by
Bracket Yard
August 19, 2025

With just four days left until college football, the 2025 Penn State Nittany Lions bring us to the next spot in the CFB Top 50 countdown.

Expectations have returned to Happy Valley. When James Franklin took over the program, Penn State was competitive, but not elite, and still recovering from the gigantic scandal that took down Joe Paterno. Since then, the Nittany Lions have made progress – not in a straight line, mind you, but things are better than they were a decade ago. In 2024, they were a contender to win the whole thing. In 2025, they will be again.

2025 Penn State Nittany Lions Basic Facts

Head Coach: James Franklin (12th season)

2025 Conference: Big Ten Conference

2024 Record: 13-3 (8-1), Big Ten runners-up

Final Resolution of Last Season: Lost in CFP semifinal, ranked 5th (AP)

2024 Scoring Offensive Rank: 28th (33.1)

2024 Scoring Defensive Rank: 8th (16.5)

Penn State Key Additions and Subtractions

IN – Amare Campbell, linebacker. Transferred from North Carolina.

IN – Kyron Hudson, wide receiver. Transferred from USC.

OUT – Abdul Carter, defensive end. Drafted by NY Giants third overall in 2025 Draft.

OUT – Tyler Warren, tight end. Drafted by Indianapolis in 1st round of 2025 Draft.

OUT – Jaylen Reed, safety. Drafted by Houston in 6th round of 2025 Draft.

Best Game on the Schedule in 2025

November 1 at Ohio State. This game might as well be called the 2025 “Major Implications Game” because that’s probably what it will have. Conference, playoffs, all of them. We are not exaggerating to say this may be one of the biggest regular season games in 2025 at the FBS level.

2025 Penn State Nittany Lions: Outlook

Drew Allar will be leading the Nittany Lions again at quarterback. Statistically, the senior had a good 2024 campaign, throwing for over 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns. There is no reason he can’t have another solid stat line in 2025, especially given that Penn State has several inbound wide receiver transfers who look to make an impact. However, the prevailing thought is that Allar failed to meet expectations on the biggest stages (Jackson, 2025). The Nittany Lions will go as far as his arm takes them.

Can they do it again on defense, though? You know what defense wins (it’s championships), and Penn State was very good at it last season. It will not be easy replacing Abdul Carter, but believe me: the Giants are not complaining about it. Dani Dennis-Sutton, defensive end, seems poised for a big year, and it will be a real disappointment for Penn State if he does not.

Penn State front-loaded their schedule with easy games in which they should be multiple-touchdown favorites. Then they get Oregon, which is going to be a battle. While there are going to be many notable conference games for them this year, that Ohio State matchup on November 1, as mentioned above, is going to be the biggie. There are not many teams on their 12-game slate that can keep up with them, but Oregon and Ohio State can. The outcomes of those two games will determine the course of Penn State’s 2025 season.