Does Coach Franklin and Penn State feel the pressure to win it all this season?

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin is entering his 11th season with the program. Now that the College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams, the team has big expectations to perform at a high level. Does Coach Franklin feel the pressure to win it all this season?

He's posted an 88-39 record in ten seasons as the head coach. The Nittany Lions is one of six FBS schools with three New Year's Bowl titles. 

The Lions need to be more explosive on offense. Their defense is still lethal. 15 All-Conference players from last season will be back. Coach Franklin hired Andy Kotelnicki as the offensive coordinator and Tom Allen as the defensive coordinator.

Allen has seven years of head coaching experience in the same conference. It's one of the reasons why Franklin hired him. Allen is a defensive mindset guy and loves to attack in the front. During Franklin's tenure, the Nittany Lions has been a Top 10 defensive team with three different defensive coordinators. 

The Nittany Lions need to work on the offensive line, beat the top 10 teams, and ensure the wide receivers make plays consistently. In addition, this offense goes as long as quarterback Drew Allar goes. He needs to have a Heisman Trophy-caliber season for the Nittany Lions.

Allar needs to make strides in his game, like releasing the ball quicker and getting out of the pocket faster. You can't win a national championship when your quarterback plays average. 

In 2023, Drew Allar threw for 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He's entering his Junior Year. Allar will be playing a new offense, which will challenge him significantly. It will be the most crucial season of his college career. He needs to lead this offense to heights we have never seen before.

The students and fans are waiting for him to answer the bell. 

The Lions won't be facing Michigan this season. However, they do have two tough opponents on their schedule. One is USC, which will meet on Oct 12th in Los Angeles, California. The other opponent is Ohio State, which the Lions will face at home on Nov 12th. 

They have what it takes on paper, but we are still determining what will happen on the field. The Nittany Lions will make the playoffs and could win the Big Ten. We will see if they can silence the critics and win it all. 

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