College Football Rankings: Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2023

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Adonai Mitchell #5 congratulates Arian Smith #11 of the Georgia Bulldogs on his touchdown catch during a game between Ohio State Buckeyes and Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

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Penn State head coach James Franklin greets freshman quarterback Drew Allar during pre-game warmups at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in State College.Hes Dr 112622 Psumsu /

A lot of people are really high on Penn State for next season and I’ve seen the Nittany Lions as high as No. 6 in the way-too-early rankings, but I’m going to temper my expectations because, well, I don’t fully trust James Franklin to get the job done.

Heck, he went with Sean Clifford over Drew Allar this season and I believe if he went with the young former five-star prospect, the Nittany Lions may have pulled off upsets of Michigan and/or Ohio State and won the Big Ten.

But that’s exactly what’s going to make the Nittany Lions serious Big Ten title threats next season: Allar. He’ll be one of the best quarterbacks in the conference next season and he should make this Penn State offense exponentially better.

The Nittany Lions are bringing in the No. 15 recruiting class in the country as well as one of the top cornerback transfers in Storm Duck from North Carolina.

I think this roster can contend with both Michigan and Ohio State next year, especially if Allar lives up to the hype.

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