Your honest expectations for this season?

[PSU&Trout]

PSU and the $uckeyes are the clear favorites. Both teams play 5 b1g road games (and only 4 b1g home games). Static probabilities today would likely project both at 10-2. In season probabilities are not static though -- they are impacted by how the team looks and plays from week-to-week on both sides of the ball, especially in regards to how they play on the road early in the season.

In that regard, if PSU starts the season 4-0 and continues to show marked improvement as Coach Franklin's recruits continue to come on board (this year will be the first year where nearly 100% of the "playing depth chart" are Franklin recruits), PSU will go 11-1 or 12-0.

Given what Franklin has accomplished in 3 seasons with far less depth and talent than on this year's "playing depth chart", including beating the $uckeyes on the field of play in 2 of the 3 years - not bad for a guy who supposedly "can't coach" according to the biased jabbering Jabronis, I wouldn't bet against PSU looking extremely solid and dominating out of the gate next year.

IOW, "the progression" continues and next year's PSU team is going to be the best team of the Franklin era so far in terms of talent, consistency, depth and play on both sides of the ball. PSU rolls into the last weekend of October 7-0 and finishes the season either 11-1 or 12-0....beyond that, 2018 PSU is going to be even better than 2017 imho.

Better in 2918 than 2017 without the leagues best RB and TE?

 

[Howie'81]

Better in 2918 than 2017 without the leagues best RB and TE?

I wonder if PSU will still be playing football in 2918.

 

[Nitt1300]

I wonder if PSU will still be playing football in 2918.

We'll never know

 

[NewEra 2014]

I see that Bushwood has taken on another alias. It is tough for him to hide his posting tendencies once he gets wound up.

FWIW, I think this team has a floor of 3 losses and a ceiling of being undefeated. When is the last time that was a realistic preseason outlook for a Penn State team? Pretty exciting times to be a Penn State fan.

 

[LafayetteBear]

We get hosed by visually impaired Big 10 officials in Columbus. We win every other game. Delaney states that after some deep contemplation only the Big 10 champion should get into the college football playoff. Playoff committee member and Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith agrees. Penn State once again on the outside looking in this bullsheet conference.

LOL, John. That is really a dark perspective. But I realize it is based on some similar past experience.

 

[Diego Badman]

I think 10 - 11 is realistic. I think the defense will be better overall.

I may be on my own with this prediction, however: I think Trace will struggle, and, by year's end, Tommy Stevens will be your starter.

I love Trace and his ability to do what it takes, but I just think that Tommy adds an "it" factor that will show itself this year.

 

[Lion8286]

Better in 2918 than 2017 without the leagues best RB and TE?

Hard to predict what PSU football will be like 901 years from now. Hope I'm retired by then.

 

[anon_1eeb2b426hv3y]

Regular season: 1 loss to OSU in a close game. OSU will fall to UM (2 losses) this year, however, who we will beat by two scores. OSU wins the tie-break but this time our resume is strong enough for two B10 teams to make the playoffs. We beat USC in a shooting match then best Clemson in a primarily defensive struggle. Boom. National Champs.

And now I'm imagining the incalculable aneurysms exploding in at ESPN HQ.

 

[Westcoast24]

Quite amusing, you're the party who claims what tremendous insight this analysis of departing loses gives you from year-to-year, but you laughably blithely ignore that PSU lost infinitely more on both sides of the ball to the draft/FA, to graduation, etc... from 2015 to 2016 than they will this year relative to 2016 and yet the big record in 2016 improved to 9-1 from 4-4 in 2015...and the overall 2016 pre-bowl record improved to 11-2 from 7-5 in 2015? Sounds like the ACTUAL "analysis" you are marketing as being highly relevant in 2017 (despite Franklin's "Playing Depth Chart" continuing to improve dramatically relative to 2016) was completely IRRELEVANT in projecting 2016 based on 2015 Starters Lost...IOW, the very definition of a "shallow analysis"! The reality is that PSU's "Playing Depth Chart" for 2017 is ACTUALLY far BETTER than the 2016 "Playing Depth Chart" and there are highly-rated, talented Franklin recruits joining the 2017 "Playing Depth Chart" that we haven't even seen yet!

Again, 2017 Depth Chart is actually BETTER than the 2016 Depth Chart, not the opposite as you claim. IOW, the "progression" continues and 2017 will be the best, most talented, most consistent PSU team we have seen in the James Franklin Era. Given that Franklin's PSU team went 9-1 in B1G Play and 11-2 Overall last year with a less talented team, especially in terms of Depth Chart 2 and 3 deep, I'm not sure why you keep characterizing your "prediction" as being super generous....actually I'm a bit confused why you are so fond of gratuitously rating your own silly opinions regarding PSU's potential or why you find these opinions based on provablly-absurd, silly, shallow analyses, rather than the overall talent and strength of the "Playing Depth Chart" from one year to another, to be so earth-shackingly important to reality. The old saying about opinions being like bung-holes - everybody's got one - applies....

Your writing style is very familiar. I like it.

 

[PennState_one]

I think we win them all Mostly because of the OL. We now should be able to play ball control when needed. The USC game was lost because we could not run the clock out and had to throw. In addition we will no longer have to wait for the second half to score points. In many games we should have substantial leads by the end of the 3rd quarter ;-)
I just hope Franklin can get a "signature" win !!!!

I personally think they just brutally wear out defenses by the time the 2nd half rolls around. But I agree with you.