subject: 2010 Penn State Football Predictions [print this page] 2010 Penn State Football Predictions 2010 Penn State Football Predictions
For the third time in the last five years the Penn State Nittany Lions finished the season in the top 10, as they capped off an 11-2 season with an impressive 19-17 win over LSU in the Capital One Bowl. The Nittany Lions both losses came in conference play at home against Iowa and Ohio State. This year Penn State will have to replace one of their better quarterbacks in school history in Daryll Clark, along with defensive tackle Jared Odrick and linebackers Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman.
This year Penn State avoids playing a very good Wisconsin team, but must travel to take on both Iowa and Ohio State. With 13 starters back (8 offense, 5 defense) the Nittany Lions expect to drop off a little bit, but I have a hard time seeing this team failing to hit the 9 win mark this season. Here is a look at what Penn State will bring to the table on both sides of the ball in 2010.
Offense: Sophomore Kevin Newsome figures to earn the starting quarterback job this season, and his job is not to replicate Clark's numbers, but keep control of the football and let the rushing attack do the work. The Nittany Lions figure to have one of the top rushing attacks in the Big 10 this season, as they welcome back senior Evan Royster, who ran for 1,169 yards and 6 scores last season. The top two receivers are back in senior Graham Zug and junior Derek Moye, and they will play a big part in the success of Newsome this season. The offensive line figures to be rock solid this season, led by senior guard Stefen Wisniewski. Overall I see a little drop off on offense, but not enough to keep them out of the top half of the Big 10 this season.
Defense: It will be interesting to see if this unit can fill the huge voids left by their star players from last year. Senior defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu will be a key in the middle, and don't be surprised if junior defensive tackle Devon Still has a solid first year as a starter. The Nittany Lions must replace all three starters at linebacker, but don't expect a big drop off out of this group, as this school is well known for producing NFL caliber linebackers. The secondary doesn't have any real standout players outside of junior safety Nick Sukay, but as a group they are experienced and should be solid from start to finish this season.
Prediction 4th Big Ten: I had a hard time picking the Nittany Lions behind the Badgers for the third spot in the Big 10, but there is a lot of uncertainty at quarterback and on the defensive side of the ball. It will be very tough for this team to win the conference with road games at Iowa and Ohio State.
If you plan on betting college football this season, be sure to check out our college football odds page each week for the best odds available. If you want to see where I have the rest of the teams finishing up in Big 10 play, check out my 2010 Big 10 Predictions.
