The Penn State Nittany Lions, despite falling short in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame in January, are Klatt’s self-proclaimed No. 1-ranked team as of Monday for one simple reason: retention.
“They’re following the blueprint of the teams that have just won the national championship,” Klatt said on his podcast. “You look at what Michigan did in 2023. You look at what Ohio State in 2024. Both of those teams had a core group of veteran players stay. They stayed and they won a championship.”
Klatt wasn’t quite done. With quarterback Drew Allar’s return to State College, Klatt said it’s important he stays healthy and the Nittany Lions win the games they’re supposed to before must-win mode hits in November.
“Both of these teams had veterans at quarterback,” Klatt said of the two previous champions. “They had veterans on both sides of the ball. They were excellent at the line of scrimmage. They had chips on their shoulders from the way they were bounced in the postseason in years prior.”
It’s more than Allar Penn State gets to rely on, however.
“All of that is true about Penn State. They’re returning their quarterback, both running backs [Nicholas Singleton] and [Kaytron Allen] and four players on the offensive line.”
Five of Penn State’s first six games are at Beaver Stadium, including an early candidate game of the year conference title rematch against the Oregon Ducks. A 5-1 or 6-0 start, in all likelihood, should put the Nittany Lions in the driver’s seat for a first-round bye.
Assuming the Nittany Lions don’t slip up before November, the regular-season title could come down to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles against his old team.
It’s up to coach James Franklin to prove last year was no fluke.
Come August, the college football world is going to find out.