Penn State Football: Ranking 2020 opponents by toughness

With a loaded roster full of talent and experience, Penn State football has its eyes set on a Big Ten title and a playoff berth.

Head coach James Franklin has been building a talented roster at Penn State and the 2020 season might be time for the payoff.

The defense is returning a lot of starting talent including star linebacker Micah Parsons, who can be thought of as this year’s Isaiah Simmons, and Journey Brown and Noah Cain form what might be the best running back duo in the entire country. Quarterback Sean Clifford has a year of experience under his belt and will be looking to improve upon his 2019 season.

While the Nittany Lions have a good deal of returning talent, they will also have to replace some of their top playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Wide receiver KJ Hamler was a big play threat for the last couple of seasons and he is now a member of the Denver Broncos and top pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos is now on the Carolina Panthers. Replacing those two players will be key for Penn State football as they look to win the Big Ten and beat Ohio State for the first time since 2016.

Here is how I would rank Penn State’s 2020 opponents.