The Ohio Bobcats return 10 starters on offense and 8 starters on defense. They were up and down all through the 2014 season. They’ll try to improve back to the level they were at a few years ago when they went 10-4 and 9-4 in 2011 and 2012.
The Bowling Green Falcons won eight games in Dino Babers’ first season with the team. The Falcons had problems with inconsistency last year. They couldn’t seem to seal the deal in key situations. They lost their last three regular season games before closing the season with a bowl win over South Alabama.
I think it is safe to say the Temple Owls are trying to figure out exactly what they are on the football field. It seems they have found a conference home in the American and now they need to figure out how to be one of those programs that nobody wants to play, sort of like the basketball squad.
They had things pointed in the right direction for a while but losing program builder Al Golden and then his replacement Steve Addazio has limited their consistency. Now under coach Matt Rhule they seem to have things pointed in the right direction again.
The Pirates have developed a reputation as a bit of a giant killer over the years taking down ACC teams with some regularity.
The 2014-15 NCAA football season saw the first-ever College Football Playoffs crown the Ohio State Buckeyes as the undisputed champions. They took down the favorited Alabama Crimson Tide to advance to the finals, where they dominated the Oregon Ducks and Heisman Trophy Winner, Marcus Mariota.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are always one of the toughest teams to predict before the start of the season. It seems that when Iowa is highly touted before the year begins, it falls flat and disappoints. When everyone is overlooking the Hawkeyes, they often rise up and become a contender in the Big Ten.
Rutgers had a really nice season in 2014. The Scarlet Knights weren’t expected to win more than 4 or 5 games, but they finished with an impressive 8-5 record. Kyle Flood is in his fourth year with the program, and I think it’s time he starts getting some credit for doing a great job maximizing the talent of his team.
The Wisconsin Badgers unexpectedly saw Head Coach Gary Andersen leave at the end of last season. Paul Chryst, who has been a coordinator at Wisconsin in the past, returns to be the top man this season.
I feel like Darrell Hazell has had the deck stacked against him at Purdue. Purdue has gone 1-11 and 3-9 in his first two years at the school. They have won only one Big Ten Conference game during those two seasons (last year at Illinois).
I simply can’t say enough about the job Jerry Kill has done with this Minnesota team over the last few seasons.
Northwestern battled through a bunch of injuries and finished a disappointing 5-7 last year. The Wildcats have finished with a sub .500 record in three of the past four seasons.
Between 2003 and 2010, the Huskies were one of the more underrated programs in America. Under coach Randy Edsall they won eight or nine games in six of eight seasons, and were considered a threat in the then Big East. Edsall’s greatest skill was the ability to develop players that could compete in that league and ultimately in the NFL.
Penn State was definitely hit hard by the probation and penalties put on them by the NCAA from the Sandusky scandal, but I think the Nittany Lions have stayed on their feet better than most believed they would.
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Big Ten 2015-2016 College Football Preview – Penn State Nittany Lions
Head Coach: James Franklin
2014 Record: 7-6
Odds to Win College Football Championship (from BetOnline): +10,000
Odds to win Big Ten (from BetOnline): +2,500
Season Win Total (from 5Dimes): 8
James Franklin did a really nice job in his first year with the team last season. Franklin proved in his time at Vanderbilt that he could maximize his talent, and I think over time he’ll prove to be a great hire for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State now has 83 scholarship players, so the depth problems they have had in the past few years shouldn’t be there this season. Penn State returns 15 starters (8 offense and 7 defense) and the Nittany Lions expectations are definitely moving higher.
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Do they have the team to be a surprise contender, or are they a year or two away?
Christian Hackenberg has taken a lot of heat during his time at Penn State, but I’m convinced he’s still a good quarterback. Just about every program wanted him coming out of high school, and the skillset is still there. What has the problem been so far for Hackenberg? The offensive line in front of him has been a catastrophe, and that hasn’t allowed Hackenberg to show off his skills. With an improved line this year, look for Hackenberg to be much better.
Penn State has a tremendous group of wide receivers. The Nittany Lions have a nice combination of possessions receivers as well as downfield threats. I expect the line and quarterback play to be better this year, and that means guys like DaeSean Hamilton and Geno Lewis will shine. Chris Godwin is a very good sophomore who could have a breakout season also.
The entire defense could be seen as a strength, but I think the strongest unit is the Penn State secondary. Six of their top eight guys return from a unit that was very good last year. Remember, Ohio State had a lot of trouble moving the ball (especially through the air) on Penn State last year.
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The Nittany Lions secondary is elite.
The running game is a weakness for Penn State. Penn State averaged 2.9 yards per carry last year which is just atrocious. They should be better this year, but it is still a weak spot. Akeel Lynch shows signs of being a good back, but the consistency hasn’t been there yet.
The offensive line should be better, but it is still one of the weaker parts of this team. Since they have been so bad the last two years, this is a unit that will have to prove it before I can rate them highly at all. Opponents sacked Hackenberg a stunning 44 times last year! If they don’t improve in a big way, Penn State will struggle.
I’m calling for a big improvement this year from Penn State. Their schedule is one of the easiest in the Big Ten. While I don’t see them winning at Michigan State or Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have a lot of very winnable games at home this year. I really like the Nittany Lions season win total over.
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They are a notch below Ohio State and Michigan State, but Penn State is quickly improving.
| Regular Season | |||
| Date | Time | vs | |
| 9/5/15 | TBD | @TEM | |
| 9/12/15 | TBD | BUFF | |
| 9/19/15 | 8:00 PM ET | RUTG | |
| 9/26/15 | TBD | SDSU | |
| 10/3/15 | TBD | ARMY | |
| 10/10/15 | 12:00 PM ET | IND | |
| 10/17/15 | 8:00 PM ET | @OSU | |
| 10/24/15 | TBD | @MD | |
| 10/31/15 | TBD | ILL | |
| 11/7/15 | TBD | @NW | |
| 11/21/15 | TBD | MICH | |
| 11/28/15 | TBD | @MSU | |
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The Illinois Fighting Illini were outscored by an average of 8.1 points per game, but they found a way to pick up six wins and go bowling. They were beaten 35-18 by Louisiana Tech in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
The Indiana Hoosiers seem to be slightly more competitive under Kevin Wilson, but the bottom line results haven’t been there. Indiana hasn’t been to a bowl game in Wilson’s four years.
Randy Edsall just got a three-year extension, so he’ll be at Maryland for a while. The Terrapins have gone 7-6 in two straight seasons, but things will be much tougher this year since they return only 6 starters on offense and 4 starters on defense.
