Greg McElroy understands the college football schedule as much as any fan. He knows spring practices are getting rolling across the country, meaning there is still a long way to go before we get to the 2025 College Football Playoff.

However, McElroy understands there is no time like the present to begin predicting the season to come.

After all, bet365 already has some early odds listed for the 2025 national championship. Ohio State, fresh off its first title since 2014, continues to lead those odds and is followed by Texas, Georgia, Oregon and Penn State in the top 5. It’s never too early to get into the action, and the Ohio Sports betting apps can help you get started.

As it relates to Big Ten football news, McElroy tackled the teams from last year’s Playoff field who are most likely to return to the CFP again in 2025. He came away with one team he feels confident about labeling a lock before we even hit the summer.

That team is Penn State:

“They’re one of the few teams I think going into this year, barring something completely unforeseen, Penn State is a lock for the 2025 Playoff,” McElroy predicted.

So, what went into McElroy’s prediction? Well, he especially likes that offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was retained for a 2nd season after a strong showing in his debut season.

He also described Penn State being able to hire Jim Knowles away from Ohio State as a “pretty level jump” from previous DC Tom Allen. That’s not a knock on Knowles. Allen delivered positive performances last year and left on his own accord for a new opportunity at Clemson.

“To be honest with you, I think from Tom Allen to Jim Knowles is a pretty level jump. I love Tom Allen, I think Jim Knowles is amazing,” said McElroy. “They both are going to do a great job regardless of who is in that position.”

Yet, in spite of maintaining what should be an elite defense, McElroy pointed to the offense as the reason for his true optimism regarding the Nittany Lions. The majority of the skill players are back with the lone exception of superstar tight end Tyler Warren who was undoubtedly a major piece to the puzzle.

Penn State also has some new wide receivers joining the fold for a position that has underwhelmed in recent seasons:

“It’s really the offense though that makes you feel better about what Penn State could be,” McElroy identified. “You bring back Drew Allar for another year. Krytron Allen, Nicholas Singleton are all back. The RB duo is amazing, the offensive line should be pretty solid as well. It’s a veteran group… I also like the additions they’ve made at WR in the portal.”

Can Penn State live up to that hype? We’ll find out down the road.