Penn State looks poised to have a shot at the title in 2025, but HC James Franklin may have some hiccups along the way. Sure, their offense looks excellent, with QB Drew Allar set to lead. But their defense? Franklin had to rebuild it because of player losses, and will be setting foot on Happy Valley with a team that is still trying to make connections internally. But that is perhaps not even their biggest problem.

Their biggest issue will be their rival Natty winners—Ryan Day’s team. Ohio State is 9-1 in the last ten matchups. Their last game was in November 2024, and Penn State lost 20-13, but fans had noticed how the team’s defense was tested. This resulted in big plays for Ohio, and that included touchdown catches for Emeka Egbuka and Brandon Inniss. One could argue that Penn State managed to limit their opponent to 20 points, but also did not do well offensively, which eventually led to their loss.

This year, their defense might be the weak link. And so all eyes will be on defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. He might be happy with how they look currently, but it’s a new defense, and so, they will have to explore plays that work. They have the time to do it, considering they are scheduled to face Ohio in November. Hence, Penn State enthusiast Mark Lesko took to his YouTube channel to discuss the team. What did he say?

“Historically, Franklin, he’s beaten him, beaten Ohio State one time. He’s beaten Michigan, I don’t know how many times, but his record against them is horrible.” The only win in these 11 games came in 2016 when the Nittany Lions won 24-21. And after that, eight straight losses against the Buckeyes. Surprisingly, Franklin has managed to keep from falling out of the top 20 ranks since then. And yet, OSU tends to hold the upper hand here, ranking in the top 10 teams until now.

His guest, Matt, responded: “So is everyone else’s. That’s the problem… I would say, as a program, we are, I think, better positioned to compete with Ohio State overall. Better now than we were four years ago.”

Lesko added, “Yeah, like Nick Saban. He didn’t have a bad record against good teams. Ryan Day doesn’t. Jim Harbaugh, I don’t think he did either. But those are just some examples of guys that…” but Matt stopped him to say, “Yeah, I mean, Nick Saban is the greatest coach. Greatest coach of all time, football.”

Against Michigan, Franklin has a 3-7 record, and it’s not a very good stat. Jim Harbaugh was brought to Michigan a year after Franklin took charge of things at Ohio. And yet, it was Harbaugh who won the National Championship and also beat Penn State. Franklin, in his 11 years as the Nittany Lions’ coach, has yet to see a National Championship win come his way.

While the upcoming season will come with renewed hopes of yet another chance at the title, he will also have to pay attention to his star QB1, Drew Allar.

Drew Allar’s expectations soar ahead of his job for James Franklin’s 2025 season!

Allar stunned the critics when he produced 2,631 yards, 25 TDs, and just 2 interceptions in the 2023 season. With a new OC in 2024, Allar still continued to shine. Those interceptions have to be worked out, having risen to 8. For now, Allar is expected to enter the 2026 draft. In this case, Pro Football Focus shared PFSN’s analyses and hinted that the New Orleans Saints might be very interested in him.

If that happens, Allar will be sitting behind Tyler Shough, who himself will be observing Derek Carr. With the veteran player announcing his retirement, Shough can make an appearance on the field sooner than expected. But Pro Football Focus also writes that Shough still doesn’t seem like the kind of QB to display fireworks on the field. In that case, if the Saints have Drew Allar in the room. It’d be such a great relief.

Allar still has room for development, especially needing work to improve his mobility and footwork. But the physical attributes tell a different story, and they could be a key reason why he gets drafted high. Should Tyler Shough be a bust for the team, the staff can then simply gravitate towards Allar and ask him to take over.

But coming back to Penn State, even with a Drew Allar-led offense, James Franklin first has to end his losing streak against Ohio State and Michigan. Those two games will be the highlight of it all. What do you think?