Penn State hits key milestone on road to 2024 season: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for May 22 include a look at a key date on the offseason calendar, headlines of the day, and more.
It’s time to dive into Thursday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with an offseason milestone. Just 100 days now separate Penn State from opening the 2024 season opposite West Virginia. To highlight this mark on the calendar, CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson highlighted a bevy of names and games to know ahead of the season. Some featured the Nittany Lions. One of his bold predictions is that head coach James Franklin’s team will not only make the College Football Playoff but also win a game in it.
“The Nittany Lions are the most obvious candidate as a program to benefit from all the conference and playoff expansion heading into 2024,” Patterson writes. “Franklin has five double-digit win seasons and five top-15 finishes in the last eight years, but Penn State has never been higher than No. 7 in the final AP Top 25 poll and never made the College Football Playoff in his tenure.
“The Nittany Lions have been in the New Year’s Six five times (3-2), so when those games are folded into the playoff picture, that makes Penn State a team that should absolutely be in the CFP mix. Plus, with divisions being removed from the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions no longer face a narrow pathway to a conference title that requires going through both Ohio State and Michigan. I think Penn State not only makes its first CFP appearance but notches a win in a breakthrough season for Franklin.”
Patterson also calls the Lions tier one national title contenders. He also calls Penn State-West Virginia one of the best non-conference games of the year. The Nittany Lions are a 10.5-point favorite at Draft Kings for the Week 1 clash at Morgantown.
Headlines of the day
Pittsburgh to host the 2026 NFL Draft, league announces: Sostek, PennLive
Will Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr., lead the Lions in tackles again in 2024?: Buy or sell: Pickel, BWI
Private equity firms campaigning to infuse millions into cash-strapped athletic departments: Kosko, On3
Penn State is called a CFP contender in the latest SP+ rankings; where is it inside of the top 12?: Pickel, BWI
College Football Head Coach Rankings 11 to 25 Franklin to Ferentz: Fiutak, College Football News
Watch: Top Penn State targets battle in OL vs. DL drill at Under Armour Camp: Snyder, BWI
Quote of the day
“Just the way it’s a family there. You can tell the way they talk to each other. The alumni are still there. A lot of coaches and old players. And, it shows it’s a good program because people want to come back and actually want to coach.”
–Four-star edge Iose Epensa to On3 after his PSU official visit.
