Penn State Football: Nittany Lions look to end 5-year Big Ten title drought

After 5-0 start last season, Penn State football went 2-6 in their last eight games. Can the Nittany Lions bounce back and compete for a Big Ten title in 2022?

There are a handful of teams in the last five seasons who have plenty of preseason hype but don’t quite live up to those expectations, and one of those teams is Penn State football.

Since winning the Big Ten in 2016, Penn State football does have two New Year’s Six bowl game wins, but during that span have gone 0-5 vs Ohio State, have split their games with both Michigan and Michigan State, and have gone 11-11 in the last two seasons with an 8-10 conference record.

But despite their woes, the energy around the Nittany Lions heading into the 2022 season is different than usual. With the results of the last two seasons plus the loss of some key players from the 2021 team, some believe this is a rebuilding year for Penn State but the Nittany Lions have other plans.

Since James Franklin took over as head coach, he has been one of the best coaches in recruiting by not only going out and grabbing big-time recruits from other states but also by keeping five-star and four-star caliber recruits from Pennsylvania from leaving the state.

This has provided the Nittany Lions with depth on both sides of the ball and no team on their schedule should write off Penn State just yet.

And with an easier conference schedule than in years past, the Nittany Lions have their eyes set on not only winning a Big Ten Title but making the College Football Playoff, and here’s how: