Penn State football’s 2021 season is inching closer and closer, folks.

James Franklin’s squad opens up the season on the road with a trip to Madison to take on No. 12 Wisconsin at noon this Saturday. Following an inconsistent 4-5 2020 campaign, the expectation for many is that the No. 19 Nittany Lions will bounce back with a much better 2021 season.

Most of our staff fully expects Penn State football to return to the top of the national rankings with a double-digit win season.

Samuel Brungo: 11-1

I’m pretty confident with this team. I think that with the veteran leadership and transfer portal additions, this team has the opportunity to shock the world. I could see the Nittany Lions going far and having a serious push for the College Football Playoff, with a New Year’s Six Bowl at the least.

I think the only team that stands in the way is, as always, Ohio State. That said, I think Penn State will play a close game, maybe even taking the Buckeyes to overtime. This is the year. Go State.

Frankie Marzano: 9-3

I think this is a good team, but I also have the feeling that this team could be the same as previous seasons. The first game against Wisconsin is far from a gimme, and traveling to both Iowa and Ohio State could prove to be too much for the Nittany Lions.

Overall, Penn State is going to still bounce back from its off-year last season. I predict it will lose two of three games against Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa, and, in typical Penn State fashion, lose one other game that nobody expects.

Connor Krause: 11-1

With an offseason of normalcy behind its belt, I believe Penn State will be ready to go from week one and avoid an early-season debacle like last year at Indiana. By earning an instant Top-25 victory, the Nittany Lions should be able to carry an unbeaten record into their season-defining matchup with Ohio State on October 30. 

Penn State’s offensive line is set to be its strongest in the post-sanction era led by steady anchors on the edge in Rasheed Walker and Caedan Wallace. If the unit is able to keep Sean Clifford healthy and pave the way for Ja’Juan Seider’s five-headed monster in the backfield, there is no reason the Nittany Lions shouldn’t possess one of the most potent offenses in the country behind Mike Yurcich’s lead. 

On defense, “Linebacker U” returns starters Brandon Smith and Ellis Brooks, along with young stud Curtis Jacobs. Experience in the box, coupled with a secondary littered with established blue-chip talent, has the Nittany Lions primed to possess one of the best pass defenses in the Big Ten. The sore spot of the unit will most likely be in the trenches, specifically at defensive end, where depth is lacking after projected starter Adisa Issac went down with an offseason injury. 

Although there is certainly a lot to like with the current Penn State roster, I think the team will run into a midseason hurdle on the road against the Buckeyes. Ryan Day has yet to lose a Big Ten contest as the head man in Columbus, and I believe his conference winning streak will remain intact at the season’s end. Other than a tally in the loss column heading into November, James Franklin should be able to right the ship and finish the season 4-0, likely resulting in a Rose Bowl berth as the Big Ten’s second-best team.

Charles Reinert: 10-2

This is going to be a very interesting season for the Nittany Lions. There’s a lot of expectations for this year’s squad and for good reason. Sean Clifford is in potentially his last year and wants to leave a legacy. The wide receiving corps is the best since Chris Godwin was wearing the blue and white, and guys like Parker Washington and Jahan Dotson have gotten a lot of attention this past offseason.

On the other side of the ball, Jaquan Brisker and Jesse Luketa are poised to have big years for the Nittany Lions. That being said, I expect the offense to be a lot of fun to watch and one of the better ones in the country, while the defense should put up impressive numbers as well. I truly have bought into the hype (maybe regrettably) and only see this team losing to Ohio State and Iowa, both away games.

Gabe Angieri: 10-2

Penn State football’s 4-5 2020 season was an absolute fluke. I expect James Franklin’s squad to bounce back this year with double-digit wins for the fourth time in James Franklin’s tenure.

Mike Yurcich’s arrival is going to make a huge difference, which should lead to Sean Clifford having a much better 2021 campaign than his previous one. The team is loaded at running back, solid on the offensive line, and led by one of the nation’s best wideouts, Jahan Dotson, at wide receiver. That doesn’t even mention young pass-catchers like Parker Washington, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Brenton Strange, and Theo Johnson.

Brent Pry’s defense may go through some bumps early in the season, but I expect the unit to be one of the Big Ten’s best by the end of the year. The front seven will have some first-time starters but has the potential to be quite disruptive with talents like Brandon Smith, PJ Mustipher, and Arnold Ebiketie. Jaquan Brisker, Joey Porter Jr., and Tariq Castro-Fields are set to hold it down in the secondary, too.

I think the Nittany Lions will lose to Ohio State and Wisconsin but take care of business elsewhere. By the season’s end, the squad will be smelling roses in Pasadena, California. Book it, folks.

Matt DiSanto: 8-4

Penn State’s football’s 4-5 2020 season was not a fluke, folks. You…you guys watched that team play, right? Am I missing something?

I love the Nittany Lions — and I love being a homer — but it’s hard to even imagine Penn State flipping the switch and somehow become a College Football Playoff contender after barely staying afloat last fall. New additions should help out, but shaky quarterback play will always hold this team back from sniffing greatness.

Penn State will lose four games this fall. It’ll fall to Wisconsin, come up short against Ball State, and get its teeth kicked in by Ohio State. Throw in a random loss to an unsuspecting Big Ten foe for good measure.

Will Pegler: 10-2

The season opener against Wisconsin will tell us a lot, but all signs point to last year’s ugly 4-5 mark being a complete fluke for the Nittany Lions. I see James Franklin’s squad proving this right out of the gate with a convincing win against the Badgers this weekend, and a run of wins from there. After a hot start, however, a loss to Iowa at Kinnick Stadium will hand Penn State its first loss of the season. The Nittany Lions have ripped off three straight wins in Iowa City since 2012 and are officially due for a loss at one of the Big Ten’s toughest environments.

As for Penn State’s other loss on the slate, that will come on the road trip to Columbus. Ohio State is simply a wagon, and I don’t see Franklin getting his “signature” road win at Ohio Stadium this year. The Buckeyes have reloaded at just about every position (like always) and will once again prove to be the Nittany Lions’ toughest opponent.

Penn State will win out the rest of its games on the slate, however, and finish with an impressive 10-2 mark in its first season back to normal college football.

Ryan Parsons: 10-2

Sorry, but I’m not sorry. I’m buying into the “2020 was a fluke” theory. The first few games of the season, mainly the first game against Wisconsin, will tell us a lot about these 2021 Nittany Lions, but I have high expectations. I’ve been impressed by Mike Yurcich and think he’s exactly what Penn State and Sean Clifford need to return to the threatening offensive power it was in 2019. Defensively, the secondary is deeper than ever, and there’s some transfer talent in the box to be super excited about.

My bold take for this season is that Penn State will finally pull off another win against Ohio State, mainly thanks to CJ Stroud’s inexperience. This might be wishful thinking but it’s definitely a better chance than Penn State ever had in the Justin Fields era.

Outside of Ohio State, there are a few other tricky games to circle on the schedule. Besides the opening matchup with the Badgers, showdowns with Iowa, Indiana, and Auburn could cause trouble for the Nittany Lions. And don’t count out the way-too-obvious of a trap game against Ball State.