Kirk Herbstreit says Penn State 'has a chance' to win national championship

Kirk Herbstreit is very high on Penn State to perhaps win it all in 2025 with what it has coming back. The long-time ESPN analyst referred to how close they were last year and this fall might be the year to get it done.

Drew Allar returns under center, so Penn State certainly has one of the better quarterbacks in the country. Put Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton in the backfield again, good luck stopping the offense!

Penn State’s defense is just as loaded, led by guys like Dani Dennis-Sutton. So with the pieces in place, as Herbstreit sees it, the Nittany Lions are one of the Big Ten and national title favorites.

“I think Penn State has a chance with what they went through last year, they’ve been so close, you know,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think their fans want them to get there, boy, they were close last year. I’m excited to see them.”

If anyone agrees with Herbstreit, it’s Penn State coach James Franklin himself. He’s won the Big Ten before and finally got Penn State to the College Football Playoff last season. However, they fell short to Notre Dame in the semifinals following two wins over SMU and Boise State in the first two rounds.

“I think we have a tremendous opportunity to do some special things this year,” Franklin said. “I know you don’t want me to do this, but I am excited about our opportunity. Nevada is our opening game. People are gonna say, ‘Well, that’s not a big game.’ We’ll lose to Nevada and find out quickly. So, we’re focused on that, but I’m also totally comfortable with talking about the things we aspire to do as a team this year and as a season and for these players.”

Few programs have the type of history that Penn State does. At the same time, the Nittany Lions haven’t won a national championship since 1986. Since then, programs like Notre Dame, Colorado, Nebraska, and Tennessee have all won more recent national championships. So, it’s hard not to imagine that there’s pressure on Franklin to get the job done in Happy Valley.

“To me, that’s the biggest thing is I want these players to experience this. I want these players that have come back and made these sacrifices to be a part of something special. That’s why I wake up very early. That’s why I go to sleep late at night. Trying to put these players in the best position to be successful,” Franklin said. “And have a very, very special season this year at Penn State.”