On Saturday Afternoon, the Penn State Nittany Lions lost to Indiana in heartbreaking fashion, falling to 3-6 on the season and 0-6 in Big Ten play. While everyone expected Penn State to lose to Indiana coming into the game, seeing this team fall short once again when they had the lead late only adds to what will be a season Penn State fans wish they could forget.
This season started when Penn State fell just short of playing for a National Championship, sparking an All-In effort to get over the top this season. Penn State brought back a star-studded roster and added elite weapons on the outside to help Drew Allar take the next step.
The roster was so talented that Penn State began the season ranked as the 2nd best team in America in the AP Poll with 23 votes as the best team in the Country. Missing the College Football Playoff would've been a disappointment for the Nittany Lions, and the results on the field have been far worse.
This team is now just 3-6 on the season, and their 3 wins this season came against Nevada, FIU, and Villanova. The best this team can finish at this point is 6-6, which would allow them to just barely sneak into a bowl game, while one loss would make this year even more disappointing, as they'd finish below .500.
The last time a team entered the season ranked in the Top 5 and put together a season this bad was when the 2000 Alabama Crimson Tide finished 3-8 after entering the season ranked 3rd.
Considering the sheer level of talent this Penn State team has, it's inexcusable to be 3-6, especially with a 0-6 record against Power 4 teams. The Nittany Lions are going to go through a ton of changes this offseason after firing James Franklin, and whoever takes the job will need to quickly get this program headed in the right direction.