Penn State opens the 2014 season Saturday morning (unless you are fortunate enough to be in Ireland, that is), and it looks as though the Nittany Lions will have something to prove around the Big Ten this fall. This comes as little surprise given the legitimate concerns facing Penn State this season when it comes to depth. If you had to rank Penn State in the Big Ten, without bias, where would you put them?
The first batch of power rankings cooked up by Tom Dienhart of Big Ten Network finds Penn State ranked ninth in the Big Ten. At first glance that seems like a low ranking to me, with Penn State coming in behind Maryland and Minnesota. Michigan State takes the top spot in Dienhart’s ranking, followed by Ohio State (without Braxton Miller).
Here is what Dienhart says about Penn State;
Depth issues finally may prove to be ruinous for the Nittany Lions. Will Christian Hackenberg be OK behind that shaky o-line? And Linebacker U is starved. But James Franklin always will win the press conference. And the future? It’s as bright as any team’s in the America.
I feel pretty good about Penn State’s chances this season, if the starters stay healthy. I think there are still concerns on defense and I feel like I have had the same questions about the offensive line I have always had since starting to cover the team in 2009. If Penn State can keep key starters healthy (Christian Hackenberg, Jesse James), then Penn State will have the talent to win any game on the schedule (potentially even upset Ohio State or Michigan State at home). But Penn State has depth concerns that could lead to a loss in a game they should not lose.
Is being ranked ninth out of 14 teams in the Big Ten a tad pessimistic? Are we supposed to take one writer’s power rankings for gospel? Absolutely not. Penn State does have some concerns heading into the 2014 season opener against UCF, but maybe the “us against the world” mentality with a chip on the shoulder will serve Penn State well.
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