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College Football: Top 10 national title contenders after Week 1

By Andrew Miller

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks with head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Florida State Seminoles after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks with head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Florida State Seminoles after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – SEPTEMBER 02: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions returns a kickoff return during the second half against the Akron Zips on September 2, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Akron 52-0. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – SEPTEMBER 02: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions returns a kickoff return during the second half against the Akron Zips on September 2, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Akron 52-0. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

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Penn State Nittany Lions Big Ten

Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions /

Scouting Report

Some you’d ask would say that the Penn State Nittany Lions should have made the Playoff last year. Not only did they defeat Ohio State and give them their only regular season loss, they also won the Big Ten. Yet, they were left playing USC in the Rose Bowl.

Penn State has two of the best offensive players in the Big Ten on their roster. Running back Saquon Barkley showed us all why he is considered the best rusher in the country. He topped the 150-yard mark with two touchdowns in Penn State’s shutout victory over the Akron Zips.

Quarterback Trace McSorley had a solid day as well with 284 passing yards and two touchdowns. McSorley has one of the top five best receiving corps in the nation to throw to. The combination of Barkley and McSorley almost always gives Penn State an edge.

We’ll learn a lot about Penn State next week when they face the Pittsburgh Panthers, a team they lost to last year. Pitt struggled with an FCS team in Week 1 so they’re not as good as they were one year ago.

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