Penn State Comes in at No. 15 in AP Preseason Poll
The Associated Press has released their preseason college football poll and Penn State is right where they should be.
The Nittany Lions will start the season No.15 in the nation according to the AP, while they checked in at No.14 in the Coaches Poll.
Penn State finished last year ranked No. 17 by the AP.
Relying heavily on their defense, Penn State will look to shut down opponents all season long. Sophomore Micah Parsons is a candidate to win the Butkus and Bednarik Awards for a best linebacker and best defensive player, and Yetur Gross-Matos is a potential top 15 pick in the next NFL draft.
The rest of the defense is solid with plenty of depth, so Penn State should be able to hold even the best offenses at bay.
That begs the question then, why the No.15 ranking?
It’s fair because the offense features too many unknowns. If Sean Clifford comes out firing on all cylinders at QB and the young and inexperienced receiving corps gets up to speed quickly, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Penn State broke into the top 10 early in the season.
The opportunities to leapfrog the teams in front of them will be plentiful. The Big 10 boasts six other teams in the top 25.
Penn State will face Ohio State (No.5), Michigan (No.7) and Iowa (No.20) this season. In addition to those teams, Michigan State (N0.18), Wisconsin (No. 19) and Nebraska (No.24) round out the Big 10 presence in the preseason poll.
The Nittany Lions began last year ranked No. 10, but hit some speed bumps along the way. While starting at No.15 feels right for this squad, they will look to show improvement from last year and answer many of the questions plaguing them early this season.
Clemson holds the top spot in the poll and Alabama is on this heels at No. 2.
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