MMQB - How Will PSU Fare this Season (Pt. 3)

On Thursday we continued our group effort to determine how the populace feels the Nittany Lions will do this season.

Take a look for yourselves to see how the second round of voting played out:

Yet again by a VERY small margin, most people believe that the Lions will stumble in the second 3-game-stretch of the season, going 2-1 in the Villanova-Indiana-Iowa series, and hitting 5-1 on the season at the halfway point. Perhaps Michael Penix strikes again, or perhaps the Kinnick voodoo is just too much to handle, but at the midway point of the season, the Lions are sitting at 5-1.

Still, a 5-1 record is nothing to sneeze at, and Penn State has to be feeling pretty good. But how does the team do through the next three games? Let’s find out!

Week 7 - vs Illinois

Following a bye week at the halfway point, Penn State is still a top 10/top 15 team. Illinois is under new management and the roster isn’t exactly top tier, so it should be a pretty easy out, right?

But a loss in the last week or two still stings, and a huge matchup against Ohio State looms the following week. Will PSU get caught sleeping against the Illini?

Week 8 - at Ohio State

Well, what can you really say about this game? Ohio State returns a conference-low production - in fact, they’re set to be one of the bottom 4 teams in returning production nationwide. But when has that ever mattered?

Heading into Columbus, with a loss already under their belt, the Lions will undoubtedly be underdogs. Can they eke out a win? Or will recent history continue?

Week 9 - at Maryland

Maryland came out in 2020 and slapped Penn State in the mouth, and for some reason or another, the Lions just rolled over and took it, in perhaps the most lopsided loss of the campaign. The Terrapins would love to repeat that performance at home in what could be the biggest game of the season for their fans.

Will a 2-loss Penn State squad mail it in the rest of the season? Would an energized team fresh off a top-5 upset collapse under the emotional weight? Or will the Lions avenge their 2020 loss, regardless of record?

What say you? Take the poll below, and try to bear in mind the week-to-week impacts of one game on another. The Lions at this point are 5-1, having taken a stumble as they headed into the halfway point of the season. Still sitting in the top 10/top 15, can Penn State avenge a couple of 2020 losses and catapult themselves to the top of the Big Ten standings? Or will a demoralizing loss or two relegate the Lions to a so-so record by the time they hit November?

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.