How many games will Penn State win? We preview the Nittany Lions’ 2022 season
Penn State football’s season is set to begin this week against the Purdue Boilermakers. We’ve already projected the team’s offensive and defensive MVPs and who will break out — now it’s time to predict what the Nittany Lions’ record will be this season.
Jon Sauber: 9-3
I’m predicting 9-3, but frankly I don’t expect that to be Penn State’s record this season. Consider this a median prediction for what I think the two most likely outcomes are this year — 11-1 and 7-5.
Things can swing wildly for the Nittany Lions and we’ll know fairly quickly which way it will go. Every game on the schedule is winnable except for one, the matchup with Ohio State, and even that is in Beaver Stadium and gives Penn State a chance. That being said, there are plenty of potential losses on the schedule. Road games against Purdue, Auburn and Michigan are going to be difficult, along with the aforementioned home matchup with the Buckeyes and a home game against Michigan State. It’s possible Penn State finishes with 8-10 wins, but this seems more like a team that is either going to exceed expectations or fall well below them.
Kyle J. Andrews: 9-3
There’s nothing wrong with a 9-win season for the Nittany Lions. It means that they’ve improved the offensive line, the running game and the defense is back to being nearly as strong as it was last season. It also means that Penn State will probably fall to Auburn and Michigan on the road and Ohio State at home. It doesn’t mean the Nittany Lions will fall prey to getting blown out or letting the moment get too big for them. It just means that they’ll have to continue growing to compete with those superior squads, which can happen in 2023.
Josh Moyer: 9-3
Are you sure we can’t push back these predictions until after Week 3? Once again, the Nittany Lions boast a great defense, a top-25 schedule and an offense with question marks — and it’s difficult to know exactly where this low-floor, high-ceiling team will wind up.
I doubt it’d surprise anyone if Penn State starts 3-0 or 1-2. That’s why I’m sort of splitting the season difference and predicting nine wins. In my opinion, when you balance the strengths with the question marks, Penn State will most likely finish third in the Big Ten East. It won’t be easy — unranked opponents like Purdue and Minnesota are no push-overs — but I’m bullish on the defense and the running game, and I think Manny Diaz’s D is talented enough to carry this team to a respectable campaign.
Bret Pallotto: 9-3
It doesn’t take a lot of mental gymnastics to understand why oddsmakers set the Nittany Lions’ win total at 8.5 games. James Franklin’s team could be favored in nine games and underdogs in one. The remaining two could be a pick’em.
Penn State’s defense is once again in position to be the team’s best unit, while the offense isn’t without its question marks. Going with a 9-3 prediction feels a bit like fence-sitting, but also one of the more likely outcomes.
Matt DiSanto: 8-4
It’s hard to be too optimistic for Penn State coming off of an underwhelming 7-6 season. Still, I think the Nittany Lions can improve enough to wrap the regular season at 8-4 and sneak into a good bowl, putting a nice bow on the Sean Clifford era.
Looking at the schedule, I’m chalking Penn State’s Thursday night opener at Purdue as a loss. That’s just a gut feeling. However, I’m forecasting a few wins in a row when Penn State returns home to beat Ohio, takes down Auburn on the road and picks up another non-conference victory over Central Michigan. The Nittany Lions should beat conference foes like Northwestern, Indiana, Maryland, and Rutgers, but I’m calling for losses to Michigan and Ohio State. Once you factor in an unpredictable loss (just like Illinois in 2021 or Indiana in 2020), you’ve got an 8-4 team.
