Chop Chat College Football 2017 Preseason Rankings: No. 5-1
By Jason Parker
No. 5 – Penn State Nittany Lions
Florida State Seminoles Football
It is safe to say that James Franklin has done his job and turned the program back into being competitive following the effects of sanctions over the Jerry Sandusky/Joe Paterno scandal. While some forget that it was actually Penn State who won the Big Ten last year, you can darn well bet that the 12 teams on their schedule aren’t overlooking the men from the commonwealth this season.
It gets a lot easier to enter the season when you know that running back and potential Heisman candidate Saquan Barkley is in the backfield again, along with quarterback Trace McSorley. Having 10 players returning on offense makes it also a lot more doable to think about a run at the playoffs considering that Penn State will be playing new starters at most defensive positions when the season begins.
Most Important Game – October 28th at Ohio State: Playing in one of the toughest divisions in all of college football is even worse when you have to play Michigan and the Buckeyes in back to back weeks. Playing the Wolverines at home will be a challenge, but heading to Columbus seven days later will be make or break time if this team is going to get to the College Football Playoff.