Death, taxes, and Kirk Herbstreit loving the Nittany Lions.

The former Ohio State quarterback and closet Penn State fan called James Franklin’s squad his “sleeper team” on ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday morning. Herbstreit cited the returning leadership as one of the reasons for his confidence in the Nittany Lions.

“I think people are maybe underestimating Sean Clifford,” Herbstreit said. “I think Sean Clifford, when he’s healthy, can make plays. I think Penn State can be a team that has a shot to be a sleeper.”

While Herbstreit is rolling with Penn State as his sleeper team, Desmond Howard chose Kentucky and David Pollack went with Ole Miss.

Herbstreit’s love affair with Penn State has been well documented and is far from a secret at this point. The College GameDay personality has said Penn State’s student section is the best in the country “by far” while also calling the White Out the best atmosphere in college football.

He even got emotional over there being no White Out during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. And, like every Penn State fan on the planet, he was quite confused when it was ruled that Michael Penix Jr. reached the ball across the pylon to complete Indiana’s 36-35 upset win over Penn State in 2020.

Penn State’s White Out game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on October 22 when the team takes on Minnesota. It’s still unclear if College GameDay will make the trip to Happy Valley for the game, but if we know anything, it’s that Herbstreit will undoubtedly be pushing for it.

The Nittany Lions will begin their 2022 campaign in less than a week when the team kicks off from Ross-Ade Stadium at 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 1.