Penn State Nittany Lions – Biggest in the Big Ten?

Today we take a look at the Penn State Nittany Lions, a long-time power under Joe Paterno who were slapped around in the Rose Bowl by USC in January:

2008 Record: 11-2 SU, 8-4 ATS
Three-Year record (’06-’08): 29-10 SU, 19-18 ATS

BetOnline Sportsbook NCAA Football Odds

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To Win Big Ten Conference
Illinois +650
Indiana +6200
Iowa +550
Michigan +1200
Michigan State +550
Minnesota +2500
Northwestern +2600
Ohio State +155
Penn State +250
Purdue +8000
Wisconsin +900

To Win National title +4250
Over 9 wins -250
Under 9 wins +170

After a soft non-conference schedule as usual, the Penn State Nittany Lions feasted on a Big Ten Conference that was not at its best last year, and the result was an undefeated season, including a win over #10 Ohio State, until running into an Iowa team that was in the process of closing the season with a flourish, and who beat the Lions by a single point. In the Rose Bowl they scored 24 points against USC, which was something of an accomplishment, but they still lost by two touchdowns.

Darryl Clark is back for his senior season at quarterback, and great things have been expected of him after completing 60% of his passes for 2592 yards and 19 touchdowns. The big blow to the offense is that Penn State lost the top three wide receivers – Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams – who accounted for 1932 yards and 17 TD’s. No receiver with more than 17 catches is returning, and this presents a problem for Clark.

It’s a good thing he can hand the ball off more. Evan Royster, who rushed for 1236 yards and 12 TD’s and is considered one of the very best backs in the country, should certainly be able to improve upon last year’s numbers. His backup is no slouch either; Stephfon Green averaged 5.5 yards a carry (578 yards overall) and will allow the Lions to give defenses no rest whatsoever, even when Royster is taking a breather.

Center Stefen Wisniewski is one of the best offensive linemen in the Big Ten, but he is not surrounded by experienced people. This was one of the best offensive lines in the nation last year, and with three starters having departed, it can’t help but be down a notch or two.

Only four starters have returned on defense, but that sounds worse than it really is. There was a lot of depth left over on the defensive line, with a lot of highly-recruited players in the two-deep. This team allowed only 2.8 yards a rushing attempt, and tackles Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu are there to clog the middle. Sean Lee, part of a great tradition of Penn State linebackers, is back after losing last season to an ACL injury, and he is expected to bounce back strong and become a first-round NFL draft pick. Among the others in this top-flight unit is Navorro Bowman, who also ranks among the best outside linebackers in the country.

If there’s anything that is an Achilles heel on this defense, it’s the secondary, where seniors AJ Wallace and Knowledge Timmons get their first full-time opportunity to start. Andrew Dailey, a sophomore safety has great potential, but he’s inexperienced. In fact, all four starters in the defensive backfield have had to be replaced.

The non-conference schedule is very light, with Akron, Syracuse, Temple and Eastern Illinois, leaving one to wonder how Joe Paterno can actually speak with a straight face about his "record" for most coaching wins. The Lions play Ohio State and Iowa at home, and once again the Big Ten is not a deep conference. Yes, we see Penn State as a team with ten wins or possibly more, although they won’t be as good as others with comparable records. For purposes of the proposition in the BetOnline NCAA football futures odds, over nine wins (-250 at BetOnline) could be the ticket, and at +250, the conference title is certainly not out of reach, at which they’ll get whipped again by USC or whoever else faces them in the Rose Bowl.