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College Football: 10 biggest storylines heading into 2017

By Andrew Hammond

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers (L) and linebacker Ben Boulware
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers (L) and linebacker Ben Boulware /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 03: The Penn State Nittany Lions storm the field after beating the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 3, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 03: The Penn State Nittany Lions storm the field after beating the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 3, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

2. Can Penn State repeat their success of a year ago?

Heading into the fourth quarter at least season’s game vs. Michigan, Penn State was down 35-3 and all of the college football world had James Franklin and this Penn State team dead in the water. One nine-game winning streak and a Big Ten title later and Penn State is back? At least in 2016 they were.

The 2017 version of the Nittany Lions is like the Hollywood movie that you’re shocked was a hit and now you anticipate what the sequel is gonna do. Penn State returns three solid stars on offense in Trace McSorley, Saquon Barkley and Mike Geskicki. You could pencil this team in as a playoff contender but they have to go win in Columbus, OH first.

Even if Penn State were to take a “step back” this season winning 7-9 games instead of the 11 from a year ago, there should be no need to worry. It is only a matter of time before James Franklin builds a consistent contender in State College. With Michigan State on the decline and Ohio State and Michigan fighting it out on the, Penn State has slowly put together a Class of 2018 that ranks atop the Rivals recruiting rankings as of this writing. The Lions are here and they are here to stay.

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