James Franklin’s message about alignment seems to have struck a chord.

Penn State has its ducks in a row. Literally, it has just 1, transfer CB Storm Duck. But silly asides aside, the program stands poised to finally break through and gain a College Football Playoff spot for the first time.

The positives are stacking up that well.

Still, getting past Michigan and/or Ohio State in the Big Ten pecking order will take some doing.

Here are 10 burning questions that will go a long way toward determining if the Nittany Lions will make that leap:

Can Drew Allar develop quickly at QB?

The 2022 5-star recruit saw action in 10 games, including a cameo in the Rose Bowl. While many fans wanted him to see even more reps, the 6-5, 240-pound baby-faced teenager benefitted from Sean Clifford’s mentorship. With Penn State having stabilized its offensive scheme in Mike Yurcich’s 2nd year as coordinator, Allar is falling into an ideal situation.

The offense is stacked with talent, from the dynamic running back duo to a rapidly improving line to a deep tight end group. With 1 veteran transfer receiver already in the fold to join KeAndre Lambert-Smith and others, Allar will have enough targets. The schedule sets up to allow him to settle in and acclimate to big-time college football and 100,000-fan crowds.

Breaking in a young phenom at QB always comes with some uncertainty, but Allar’s pedigree and his performance as the back-up this past year suggest he’s ready to handle the job. Don’t be surprised if he’s a top-3 quarterback in the Big Ten before the calendar flips to October.

Is there enough depth at QB?

Unless James Franklin finds a viable transfer, Penn State will be ridiculously young at quarterback. And that’s probably okay.

Behind Allar there’s classmate Beau Pribula, a 3-star recruit out of Central York High School a year ago. Word is that the coaching staff loves what Pribula brings to the table. The 6-2, 200-pounder plays a style similar to Trace McSorley and battled Allar evenly last spring in the depth chart battle behind Clifford. With Christian Veilleux having transferred, Pribula stands as the clear No. 2 unless and until a transfer arrives, and maybe even if that happens.

If bad luck on the injury front were to hit, Penn State could face the prospect of having to play incoming 3-star Jaxon Smolik. But 3 guys (Christian Hackenberg, McSorley, Clifford) have made all but 2 of the starts for the Nittany Lions over the past 10 years, so that’s a worry that probably won’t materialize. And adding a transfer willing to be a backup probably doesn’t improve the situation anyway.

Is WR depth a problem?

Jahan Dotson opted for the NFL last year and Parker Washington is following suit, leaving KeAndre Lambert-Smith as the top returning wide receiver. Some others have flashed potential and NC State transfer Devin Carter is joining the group, but Penn State probably hasn’t been this unproven at the position in quite a while.

Lambert-Smith’s 3 catches for 124 yards in the Rose Bowl — including a sweetly executed route for an 88-yard TD connection — may quell some worries. And the incoming Carter goes 6-3, 215 and has nearly 2,000 receiving yards over 4+ years with the Wolfpack.

It helps that the program really only needs 2 steady performers outside now that the run game and the tight ends are being emphasized to a greater extent. That shouldn’t be too big an ask, but this will be an area of focus and worry for media and fans.

Will the o-line progress continue?

Yes, it most definitely will. Penn State turned a corner this past year with better players and a better approach. And other than Juice Scruggs, most of the top guys in the rotation will be back. Also, the 2 highest-rated o-line recruits Penn State has signed this century have joined the fold.

Potential NFL first-round pick Olu Fashanu decided to return to anchor the key left tackle spot, and he and left guard Landon Tengwall should be fully healthy by the spring after missing the latter part of the 2022 season with injuries. Veteran transfer Hunter Nourzad also opted to return and seems destined to take over at center for Scruggs. Caedan Wallace recently announced he’s coming back to try to improve his stock after an up-and-down 4 years (and 27 starts) with the Lions. Drew Shelton, who filled in admirably for Fashanu as a true freshman, should have a great shot at a starting position somewhere. Sal Wormley and Bryce Effner — starters on the right side for much of 2022 — haven’t announced their plans yet but have the option to return. The coaching staff is high on Vega Ioane and a couple other youngsters who didn’t get a ton of playing time.

Add in incoming 5-star J’Ven Williams and high 4-star Alex Birchmeier, and Phil Trautwein will have the luxury of quality depth for the first time as he enters his 4th season as OL coach.

Penn State might not quite be ready to match Michigan’s prowess up front, but the Lions are a lot closer to that level than they’ve been in the past quarter century.

Will Nick Singleton be a Heisman candidate?

If not, it’ll be because he’s sharing running back touches with classmate Kaytron Allen. But if Penn State sticks in the top 10 and makes a run at the Playoff — which is very possible — the former 5-star recruit could be producing attention-grabbing highlights on an almost weekly basis.

His final game of the 2022 season, the Rose Bowl, featured an 87-yard run that put him over 1,000 yards as a true freshman. National pundits will already know his name when September rolls around. If he gets more involved in the passing game and breaks some big returns on special teams, the Heisman hype will follow.

Who else could be a breakout star?

As a true freshman, LB Abdul Carter led the team in sacks (6.5) and ranked 2nd in tackles for loss (10.5), showing burst and ferocity that can’t be taught. Wearing the iconic Penn State No. 11, he’s looking like the next Micah Parsons, and that’s not hyperbole.

Allar is another young gun with the size and the game to get the hype train chugging. Kalen King showed big-time skills at corner when Joey Porter Jr. missed time. Fashanu could be the rare o-lineman who stands out rather than blending in. And how’s this for a fan favorite: Undersized LB and special teams maven Dom DeLuca can flat-out play.

Will the key staff members all be back?

It’s looking that way. Getting just a 2nd year from Manny Diaz at defensive coordinator would be huge, and so far no one’s tempted the former Miami Hurricanes head coach sufficiently with an offer. Defensive assistants Anthony Poindexter (safeties), Terry M. Smith (cornerbacks) and John Scott Jr. (line) will all be hot commodities if the progress continues, but hopefully not before PSU has reached the real postseason.

On the offensive side, Mike Yurcich in his 2nd year and line coach Phil Trautwein in his third finally sold themselves to fans frustrated by dwindling scoring and yardage totals in 2020-21. Ja’Juan Seider (running backs), Ty Howle (tight ends) and Taylor Stubblefield (receivers) are proving themselves as teachers and recruiters.

Keeping this group largely intact for at least 1 more go-round would be huge for James Franklin. After talking about alignment over the past couple years, the head coach seems to have found some entering his 10th season in State College.

Who will the Lions miss the most?

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. played a huge roll locking down one side the field before a health issue cut his season short. Sean Clifford’s leadership on the field and off shouldn’t be discounted. Parker Washington’s choice to go pro leaves a huge void at receiver.

But Ji’Ayir Brown made Penn State go. On a defense that rotated players like crazy, Brown played more snaps than anyone. He led the team in tackles and intereptions, and — unleashed by DC Manny Diaz — showed off major pash-rush skills too. He talked the talk and walked the walk, the epitome of what Penn State has always preferred in a leader. Finding the next “Tig” to fill a captaincy will be imperative not just for the defense but for the program overall.

Is more help on the way?

The latest portal addition is NC State receiver Devin Carter, a grad transfer. He joins a punter and a cornerback who have popped out of the portal vortex in central PA. Odds are Penn State will have a few more transfers in the coming weeks.

There is also a secondary recruiting period, so Penn State could add more high school talent as well.

Can Penn State make the Playoff?

I’m just a skosh short of saying the Lions should make the Playoff. It can be argued that Singleton and Abdul Carter were the 2 best freshmen not only in the B1G but the country this past season. If Curtis Jacobs returns, the team will have one of the best LB corps in the country. The o-line, as stated above, should rank right with Michigan atop the league.

Manny Diaz’s defense will sorely miss Brown and Porter, but the depth is there to replace them. The major worry will be up the middle, where tackle PJ Mustipher will leave a big void. If Diaz can adjust to avoid getting gashed like PSU did against Michigan (418 rushing yards), everything else is in place. After his aggressive style produced a B1G-high 42 sacks in his debut season, Diaz might really shake up the league for an encore.

Meanwhile, Michigan faces recurring Jim Harbaugh-to-the-NFL rumors. Ohio State must break in a new quarterback amid grumblings that Ryan Day can’t win the big one and new DC Jim Knowles hasn’t solved the program’s defensive issues. Penn State might still start 2023 at 3rd in the perceived pecking order, but the gap is crepe paper thin at this point. Barring an upset loss, Penn State should be able to make the CFP by beating just 1 of its top 2 B1G East rivals.

Franklin has had at least 2 regular-season losses in each of his 9 seasons guiding the Lions, but the 10th time really could be the charm.