2025 Penn State Football Predictions: Nittany Lions Ranked 7th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136

This isn't your average college football ranking.

My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:

• Who do I think is good?
• Why do I think they're good?
• What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?

Here is a look at where Penn State lands in my Ultimate 136.

Penn State ranking: 7
Last year’s ranking: 14 
Top player: DE Dani Dennis-Sutton: Finished tied for fifth in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (13) and tied for sixth in sacks (8.5); also forced two fumbles and recorded 42 total tackles.

[Penn State's 2025 schedule]

RJ's take: As I wrote last month, James Franklin will have the core of his 2024 team ready and willing in 2025. Quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and linebacker Dani Dennis-Sutton hope to lead the Nittany Lions back to the College Football Playoff after falling just seconds short of earning the chance to play for the national title. 

A total of 14 starters return this season, while the best defensive coordinator in the country, Jim Knowles, arrives after helping lead Ohio State to a national title last season. He joins offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who is entering a year when he’ll have talented wideouts on the perimeter.

That’s fine.

But I can't really take this team seriously to win a national title. And that's about Franklin, who is 0-7 against Ohio State and Michigan over the last four years and 1-15 against AP top-five opponents. You'll see Penn State ranked No. 1 almost everywhere else, but you won't see an argument for why outside "they're due." So is the rent. One is getting paid this January come hell or high water. 

And unlike Penn State, my checks don't bounce.

[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]

Penn State Win Total Odds: Over 10.5 (+104) Under 10.5 (-128)

Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.

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