Penn State Football: Nittany Lions face obstacles to Big Ten repeat

Penn State football could repeat as Big Ten champs in 2017, but there are obstacles standing in the way.

The sand in the hourglass was running low on James Franklin’s tenure as the head coach of Penn State following a 49-10 embarrassment at Michigan. Fans were speculating when rather than if the head coach would be canned, but the athletic department had faith.

Franklin was hired in 2014 to replace Bill O’Brien and restore the roar in the program. After two 7-6 seasons, and a 2-2 start in 2016, it seemed like Penn State was moving laterally and it was time for a change. The Nittany Lions then recorded a three-point win at Minnesota and Franklin earned himself more time. Then a blowout of Maryland. After that, it was the signature win of the head coach’s career in Happy Valley, a 24-21 come-from-behind victory over No. 2 Ohio State.

Penn State used that momentum as fuel that drove them to the Big Ten East title and a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions eked out the win and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl, narrowly missing the College Football Playoff.

How did a team consisting of a sophomore backfield — Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley — and an underclassmen-laden depth chart make this all possible? They finally bought into the system and reached their full potential.

So what is standing in the way of a Penn State repeat and quieting the doubters who say they’re a one-year wonder? Nothing but a grueling three-game stretch against the other top contenders in the Big Ten East. If you thought Michigan, Michigan State (although they had a poor season) and Ohio State were happy about losing out in the conference title race to the Nittany Lions, you’re sadly mistaken.

Let’s start with the first obstacle: Jim Harbaugh and Michigan.

The Wolverines travel to Beaver Stadium for an Oct. 21 matchup and Penn State will likely have the upper hand as Michigan is losing 40-plus seniors and early NFL entrants. However, Michigan was the last Big Ten team to defeat Penn State, dismantling the Nittany Lions 49-10 in Ann Arbor last season.

Will Franklin preach revenge or will the Nittany Lions have that embarrassing blowout weighing on their minds throughout the entire game? Either way, that contest will have serious Big Ten title implications.

The next obstacle comes one week later at Ohio State.

The 2016 runner-up for the Big Ten East title felt as if it should have won the conference, but a blocked field goal against Penn State resulted in the Buckeyes’ only loss of the season. No one saw it coming, but that’s the win that catapulted the Nittany Lions into the spotlight.

Unfortunately for Penn State, the team that it beat in Happy Valley in 2016 is going to be a little different in 2017. How different? Well, despite all of the early entrants into the NFL draft from the Buckeyes’ depth chart, they were an extremely young team and Urban Meyer is returning a ton of talent as well as bringing in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett returns to get revenge and playing in Columbus won’t be an easy task for the Nittany Lions, even with a more experienced McSorley leading the way.

Final obstacle is at Michigan State.

You might be laughing at this because of the Spartans’ 3-9 season in 2016, but Mark Dantonio has built a winning program. Having an outlier like this isn’t uncommon. Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno went 3-9 in 2003 and followed that up with six straight bowl appearances. If you think Michigan State is going to have a repeat of 2016 as long as Dantonio is in town, you’re mistaken.

Moreover, Michigan State had its best recruiting class under Dantonio in 2016 and most of the young freshmen were forced into action to make up for the upperclassmen’s poor play. That will pay major dividends as the talent is finally maturing and will be a force in 2017 and 2018.

Penn State had no trouble with Michigan State in 2016, but the Spartans didn’t have a quarterback worth mentioning. With Brian Lewerke healthy, Messiah deWeaver coming off a redshirt and a fairly potent offense with LJ Scott and Donnie Corley, this team won’t be an easy victory on the road.

Not many teams can overcome a three-game stretch like that, but Penn State has the weapons as well as the potential. If Penn State can come out with at least two wins out of those three obstacles, the Nittany Lions will be on a clear path to the Big Ten Championship yet again.

The obstacles are imposing, but the Nittany Lions proved in 2016 that no task was too overwhelming. They started the season 2-2 with an eyesore of a 39-point loss to Michigan and wound up winning nine straight, including a comeback win against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship.

Franklin’s team also made the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2008 under Paterno, nearly taking down red-hot USC. The Trojans were in the same boat, having been on fire in the latter part of the season.

The combination of McSorley and Barkley will be the best in the Big Ten and losing just five total starters will make the Nittany Lions the team to beat, at least at the commencement of the campaign. Franklin finally proved his worth as a head coach, putting those top recruiting classes to work and squeezing the potential out of them.

Let’s see what he can do with yet another top-tier class, according to 247Sports it’s ranked third in the Big Ten, along with a talented young team. The sky is the limit in 2017 and anything less than a conference repeat would be a disappointment.