Penn State Football: Way too early game-by-game predictions for 2018
By Shane Lunnen
After back to back 11 win seasons, Penn State football is back in the national discussion. The 2018 season will challenge the Lions to sustain success.
The 2017 season should be considered a successful one for Penn State. While they did not win another Big Ten championship, they came very close to undefeated season. The Nittany Lions two losses were by a total of four points. A 10-2 regular season was capped by a Fiesta Bowl victory over Washington.
While the Lions lose a lot this year, the biggest being running back Saquon Barkley, they still have what is shaping up to be a solid team. With the recent recruiting successes, James Franklin and Penn State look to be contending again for the Big Ten championship.
The 2018 schedule appears to be favorable for the Lions. They will play most of the power players of the conference at home and the non-conference schedule should be manageable. Let us delve into an early game-by-game prediction for Penn State.
The Mountaineers have enjoyed success since moving to the FBS in 2014. Last season they were the Sun Belt co-champions with Troy, going 7-1 in conference play and 9-4 overall. They blanked Toledo 34-0 in the Dollar General Bowl to finish the season.
The biggest question mark surrounding the Mountaineers this off-season is finding a quarterback. Four year starter Taylor Lamb is now gone, but whoever lines up under center, there are several weapons still in place. The biggest of them all may be running back Jalin Moore, who has posted back to back 1000 yard seasons.
On defense the Mountaineers will be replacing their defensive coordinator, who left for Georgia Tech. However they have one of the best cornerbacks in the game in Clifton Duck. I will admit to not knowing much about him before this writing, but seriously check the kid out. He’s good and may be playing on Sundays soon.
As for the game against Penn State, it will be closer than people think, at least for a half. With the new pieces on both sides of the ball, it will take a while for the Nittany Lions to adjust. The Mountaineers hang around, but Penn State starts to figure things out in the second half and they cruise to a comfortable victory.