Is Penn State a top 10 job in College Football today? It is a legit question because back when Joe Paterno was winning in the 1980s and 1990s, it was not even a question worth asking. In the new world of NIL and the transfer portal, is Penn State a top 10 job?
The better jobs today
The 1st thing we must discuss is the criteria for the top 10 jobs. A top 10 job is a place where you can win a national championship and have the potential to sustain that level consistently. So, the job's better than Penn State in the Big Ten; Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon are the top contenders. Ohio State and Michigan both won national championships in the last two seasons. Oregon went 13-0 last season in its first season in the Big Ten, winning the conference. They also beat Penn State in the Big Ten Championship game, and a few weeks ago.
The SEC has several jobs, which are better than Penn State. Georgia (two recent national championships), LSU (three previous head coaches won national championships), Alabama (won six national championships under Nick Saban), Tennessee (which seems more relevant and closer to more high school talent), and Texas (made the playoff back-to-back years and is close to high school talent in Texas). It's close with Oklahoma, but I give them the nod above Penn State because they won a National Title more recently with Bob Stoops.
Schools in the same range as Penn State
Notre Dame beat Penn State last year in the College Football Playoffs, so they are neck and neck with Penn State. Other schools in conversation would be Miami, Texas A&M, Florida State, USC, Auburn, and Clemson. All of them probably get the nod over Penn State because they are closer to more elite talent in states like Florida, Texas, and California. All these programs, for various reasons, have struggled for a significant amount of time. Clemson is the one outlier that elevated its program status under Dabo Swinney and won two national championships, but I am not sure that is a better job than Penn State. Auburn is in its own category of perplexing schools. They won a National Championship in 2011 with Cam Newton and played for another in 2013 but have largely struggled since.
The case for Penn State
Penn State plays in one of the best stadiums and atmospheres in the country. Their white-out atmosphere is special and one of the best traditions any school has. They have a large and rabid fan base. The state of Pennsylvania has good high school talent, but not as much as states like California, Texas, or Florida. Still, this is a job that plays at a conference, the Big Ten, which has lots of television money pouring in. So, Penn State might not be a top 10 job, but it is still an excellent job that you can win a lot of games at and possibly a national championship at.
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