Penn State has its bowl destination. It has another berth in a New Year's Six game. It has another chance to build excitement for 2024 with a signature win.
Players have the transfer portal open, the right to reevaluate their current standing with a program, the chance to pursue something greater if they choose.
It's the week of opportunity around college football (unless you're Florida State, of course), and the Nittany Lions are in the thick of it.
On this week's episode of the Penn Stated podcast, hosts Donnie Collins (The Scranton Times-Tribune) and Sam Fremin (The Citizens Voice) discuss the Florida State dis, whether the CFP committee got that right, and whether Penn State should be playing Ole Miss at all (one of the hosts says it should be Oklahoma).
The also debate whether this is a "dangerous" matchup for a Penn State team that isn't going against a blueblood, is likely to be favored, and yet is facing a team with plenty of offensive weapons and an underrated defense that may be better than the nation thinks. In short: Would winning this game move the needle much for the Penn State fan base?
Donnie and Sam also discuss defensive end Chop Robinson's declaration for the NFL Draft and rank where he fits among Penn State ends of the last 30 years.
Plus, as the transfer portal opens, they talk about why Penn State hasn't been as affected by the transfer portal as other programs have been this season, the ways they've used it better than anybody, and why head coach James Franklin is handling the challenges of program leadership in a more individual-focused era better than others in his position.
To contact Donnie, drop an email at dcollins@scrantontimes.com, or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.
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