Penn State Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2020 season

The 2020 Penn State football season is expected to begin Sept. 5 in what should be an early showcase of talent against Kent State. The Nittany Lions last faced Kent State in the 2018 season and they should expect another early-season beating similar to the 63-10 win two years ago.

Penn State will take the trip to Blacksburg the following week to take on the Hokies, so a Week 1 home date with the Golden Flashes should act as a nice test drive for Kirk Ciarrocca’s new offense.

The Nittany Lions once again have NFL talent on both sides of the football, but do have significant question marks entering the 2020 season. Offensively, Penn State is returning quarterback Sean Clifford, a stable of running backs and an offensive line which will feature five players having starting experience.

The biggest concern offensively comes at the receiver position. Star tight end Pat Freiermuth returns, but Clifford will look to find a new go to receiver to replace K.J. Hamler’s production from the past two seasons. The receiver group is talented but junior Jahan Dotson is the only returning receiver that has made an impact in State College. Kent State should give Clifford time to work with his new targets in Ciarrocca’s new offense.

Record: 1-0

Penn State makes their first road trip for the year when the Nittany Lions travel to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies on Sept. 12. The matchup will be significant for multiple reasons, the first being an early season test for both programs. Virginia Tech faces Liberty in Week 1 and both programs should enter 1-0 in a matchup between two top 25 programs.

A win for either school shows who is a contender and who is a pretender.

The Sept. 12 meeting will be the first round of a home-and-home series and will be the first time these two power programs face off in football.

The matchup will be a significant contest for each program as Penn State has dominated recruiting in the DMV area under James Franklin, particularly in Virginia. The Nittany Lions signed four of the top 15 prospects in the state per the 247Sports recruiting rankings. Franklin’s staff signed the top two prospects in the state in the 2019 class and linebacker Brandon Smith and running back Devyn Ford will look to leave a mark in their homecoming game. The Lions also signed two of Virginia’s top three prospects in the 2018, so Tech coach Justin Fuentes will have to put his foot down.

The Hokies hit a groove after making a quarterback change midseason but then went on to lose their regular season finale to Virginia and the Belk Bowl to Kentucky. The hot seat cooled off on Fuentes but an early season home loss to a program that has continued to steal the top talent out of the area will put pressure on the fifth year VT coach.

The Hokies will also start a season without Bud Foster, the first time he hasn’t been on the Tech sideline since 1986. The game should start off close and a night game, even without a crowd should put the pressure on. Ultimately the Lions top end talent should pull away.

Record: 2-0