The last three years have been pretty good in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions have posted nine wins or more in each of those seasons, and won a B1G title in 2016.

James Franklin’s hope is to return Penn State to the top of the B1G, but it’s a pretty tall task for the Nittany Lions this season. The program saw over a dozen players depart via transfer and a handful more leave for the NFL Draft. Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders were also key departures.

It’s not as if Penn State doesn’t have talent. Franklin has repeatedly raked in highly-ranked recruiting classes and plucked several four- and five-star players to fill the roster. Those guys are still relatively young and inexperienced, though.

What does that mean for Penn State in 2019? It should be another strong year in State College, but a division title may be just out of reach.

Who knows, though? If Penn State’s younger talent matures quickly, the Nittany Lions could find themselves in the mix.

Here’s how ESPN’s FPI is predicting every game for Penn State:

  • August 31: vs. Idaho — 99.4% win probability
  • September 7: vs. Buffalo — 97.4% win probability
  • September 14: vs. Pitt — 84.9% win probability
  • September 27: at Maryland — 85.2% win probability
  • October 5: vs. Purdue — 90.4% win probability
  • October 12: at Iowa — 55.9% win probability
  • October 19: vs. Michigan — 41.7% win probability
  • October 26: at Michigan State — 42.6% win probability
  • November 9: at Minnesota — 60.2% win probability
  • November 16: vs. Indiana — 82.5% win probability
  • November 23: at Ohio State — 46.4% win probability
  • November 30: vs. Rutgers — 95.4% win probability

Other ESPN FPI predictions: Illinois – Indiana – Iowa – Maryland – Michigan – Michigan State – Minnesota — Nebraska – Ohio State – Purdue – Rutgers – Wisconsin