TAQB - How Will PSU Fare this Season (Pt. 1)

The start of summer camp is less than a month away, and we’re less than 2 months from the start of the season.

We’ll be running a series of posts in which we’ll be going over a portion of the Lions’ schedule, starting with Wisconsin and ending with Michigan State, and having you the readers vote to determine how well you think PSU will do this year.

So let’s get to it!

Week 1 - at Wisconsin

Wisconsin figures to be one of the toughest season-opening games the Lions have had in some time. Appalachian State comes to mind, but that was never intended to be a tough game.

Instead, the Lions start on the road against one of the top 2-3 teams in the West, in the first game with fans in attendance since 2019. Can Sean Clifford return to form? Will Mike Yurcich’s offense take flight? Can the defensive line fill out in time for a tough Wisconsin run game? Many questions heading into week 1.

Week 2 - vs Ball State

The home opener for the Lions features the reigning MAC champions, a team returning 85% of its 2020 production. Didn’t someone say something about App State?

The Lions would definitely be considered the more talented team, but they didn’t respond well to the season-opening loss to Indiana in 2020. Would a week 1 loss to Wisconsin carry over to week 2? Or would a statement victory on the road against the Badgers bring momentum into week 2 for an easy win?

Week 3 - vs Auburn

After two tough games, the Lions don’t get much of a break as the Tigers come to town. Auburn had a rough 2020, and will have new head coach Bryan Harsin on the sideline. Can Harsin get more out of Bo Nix? Were the Tigers better than their 6-5 record in 2020?

How will Penn State fare if they’re sitting at 0-2 at this point in the season? Or what if they’ve raced out to a 2-0 record on the year?

What say you? Take the poll below, and try to bear in mind the week-to-week impacts of one game on another. How the 2020 season snowballed after the loss to Indiana, or - hearkening back a bit - how the 2005 season took off after the win over Northwestern.

We’ll carry the results of this poll into the next post, and see just how well you think the Lions will fare in 2021 when all is said and done.