The 2021 Penn State football season ended with disappointment. Will 2022 be any better for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions?
With a loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Outback Bowl, James Franklin has taken the Penn State Nittany Lions to a disappointing 7-6 record. Franklin and Penn State underachieved this season, but despite that, he’s currently set to be coaching the Nittany Lions into the next decades.
While Penn State didn’t do well this year, Franklin has demonstrated that he can be a good coach in the past. He’ll need to do that again next year.
Penn State has a fairly manageable schedule. Let’s take a look at it as it stands right now and start figuring out just how good the Nittany Lions could be next season with some way-too-early predictions.
Penn State football: 2022 Nittany Lions game-by-game predictions
- Sept. 3 at Purdue: W
- Sept. 10 vs. Ohio: W
- Sept. 17 at Auburn: L
- Sept. 24 vs. Central Michigan: W
- Oct. 1 vs. Ohio State: L
- Oct. 8 at Michigan: L
- Oct. 15 vs. Illinois: W
- Oct. 29 vs. Michigan State: L
- Nov. 5 at Indiana: W
- Nov. 12 vs. Maryland: W
- Nov. 19 vs. Minnesota: W
- Nov. 26 at Rutgers: W
Way-too-early 2022 prediction: 8-4
Franklin is being paid a ton of money and Penn State looks pretty mediocre right now. Will the Nittany Lions be able to get some wins next season?
There are some games that are toss-ups on that schedule, like the road trip to Auburn, but Penn State has a decent path to eight or nine wins. We’ll see if Franklin is able to guide the Nittany Lions to that sort of success next year.
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