Heather Dinich projects Penn State to surpass Ohio State in Big Ten title race

Many at ESPN and in the college football media as a whole believe the Big Ten will come down to either Ohio State or Penn State in 2025. The Buckeyes are the reigning champions of the sport, while the Nittany Lions are poised to break through their glass ceiling this season.

On Wednesday’s edition of Get Up, Heather Dinich answered which team will rise above and be the class of the conference. While she believes Ohio State will compete with the best, the ESPN analyst is rocking with Penn State to make some noise. 

“I’m going with retreat. That’s not a knock on them. This is a very talented team. But as we sit here today, we know more about Penn State. Penn State has more answers,” Dinich responded, asked whether Ohio State will repeat as the top team in college football, or retreat to the median. “They have Ohio State’s old defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles. They’ve got two of the best running backs in the country. They’ve got Drew Allar, who’s going to increase his NFL Draft stock, and he’s going to push the ball downfield more this season. He’s got some better receivers. 

“I think that this is the year James Franklin can take Penn State from good to great. I think they win the Big 10.”

While Penn State’s roster is awesome, their head coach in James Franklin is giving some pause. He’s helped the Nittany Lions consistently compete, but when they’ve got to the grandest stage in the sport, they’ve fallen. It’ll be up to him to change the narrative in 2025.

Moreover, this isn’t the first time Dinich has beaten the drum for Penn State either. Earlier this week, she proclaimed the Nittany Lions as the top team in all of the sport, believing they’re ready to make a leap.

“It’s Penn State,” she proclaimed, regarding the top ten in the Big Ten via Get Up. “They’re my No. 1 preseason team. On paper, they are absolutely loaded. Back to the coordinator position, James Franklin might have the two best in the country. On offense, with Andy Kotelnicki, and Jim Knowles on defense, who he picked from Ohio State. Talk about a secret weapon.

“But you’ve also got Drew Allar back. He’s going to be better. He’s going to increase his draft stock. You’ve got Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen. I mean, these guys are loaded on defense. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant, you’ve got NFL talent all over that field.”

Alas, Ohio State fans will point towards the fact that Penn State hasn’t beaten them since 2016. The Buckeyes are on an eight-game win-streak over the Nittany Lions, as they’ve been the boogeyman in Happy Valley. 

Until that changes, Penn State won’t be able to take a leap and compete for the national title. Their game against Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 1 might be the single biggest showdown in the sport in 2025. We’ll see if the Nittany Lions can prove Heather Dinich right, or if history prevails.