James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions enjoyed what might have been the best season in school history in 2024, finishing 13-3 under the leadership of Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar, only for their national championship bid to again fall short as they lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The loss to the Irish was preceded by a loss to the Oregon Ducks in the Big 10 Championship game, Oregon’s first as a member of the conference.
But as they gear toward 2025 with high hopes, returning Allar as quarterback, a dominant running game, and Franklin as the coach in his 12th year, the Nittany Lions are ready to put what could be the school’s best team on the field as the team looks to capture their first national championship in nearly 30 years.
However, according to ESPN, there is one team, actually, one man that is stopping them from reaching those heights in the 2025 season.
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day.
James Franklin’s team simply just hasn’t had an answer for when they play against the Ohio State Buckeyes since Day was hired in Columbus, dropping six straight games to the reigning national champions.
However, the Nittany Lions do have some factors on their side in this year’s matchup, as the Buckeyes are forced to familiarize themselves with a new quarterback in Julian Sayin and they also lost their defensive coordinator Jim Knowles over the offseason.
And you’ll never guess where Knowles is now.
That’s right. Penn State.
The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes will do battle in Columbus on November 1 of this year, the outcome of the game sure to serve massive implications for the College Football Playoff.
Source link : https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/who-penn-states-biggest-villain-heading-2025-season/0aca3210c365e31775c8c1ff
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Publish date : 2025-07-11 02:34:00
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