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No hiccups, no glitches and no major concerns. Aside from Trace McSorley’s interception on the first possession of the season, Penn State has been as close to perfect as a college football team can get.
Sometimes it takes a few quarters, maybe a few games, to rid the cleats of some of that offseason dust. The Nittany Lions needed just two possessions.
Penn State glided through the first three weeks of its schedule and punished all three non-conference foes: Akron, Pitt and Georgia State. The offense is averaging 47 points per game. The defense has pitched two shutouts and surrendered just one touchdown. Saquon Barkley is the unquestioned leader in the Heisman Trophy race. Marcus Allen is emerging as one of the top defenders in the country.
Yeah, Penn State was suppose to be good, but were James Franklin and Co. suppose to be this good?
I’ll admit, I didn’t buy in to the Penn State hype when the season started — at least not to the extent of College Football Playoff bound. The Lions always started slow and the defense surrendered a lot of points. If that trend continued, it’d surely come back to bite them a few times.
Ohio State was the safe pick to contend for the Playoff bid. A ton of starters returned and Kevin Wilson — a known offensive mastermind — was calling the plays. Urban Meyer is Urban Meyer.
We’re only three weeks in but it’s clear that we — myself included — underestimated Penn State.
There haven’t been those same slow starts, and the Nittany Lions haven’t had to rely on those second half rallies to win games. The defense is shutting down opponents, allowing just 14 points on the year — all of those coming from Pitt. Right now, it’s hard to pinpoint a weakness in Happy Valley.
Penn State is the best team in the B1G, and maybe even the country. The chances for back-to-back conference titles and a berth in the College Football Playoff are attainable goals.
It’s true that the Lions haven’t really been tested through the first three weeks of the season. Akron, Pitt and Georgia State aren’t considerable challenges for a program on top of the B1G East. But Penn State has had little trouble putting those teams away, and that’s what’s expected this early in the year.
Penn State is headed into conference play with a full head of steam. That’s good, because opening B1G play against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium under the lights is no easy task, just ask Michigan. After three games, though, it’s hard to imagine Iowa putting up a fight against this Penn State team.
The Lions have the best player in college football and one of the top quarterbacks in the conference. The defense is at the top of the league, and their coach is still fairly underrated. What Penn State has done through three weeks is no accident.
Right now, Penn State is the best team in the B1G. Too much talent, too many weapons and a ridiculous amount of confidence runs throughout the roster. All of those questions we had before the season started have already vanished.
So have any doubts that Penn State isn’t good enough to win the East in back-to-back years.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB