Where every Penn State opponent ranks on the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
The hype train continues to roll on for the Penn State Nittany Lions heading into the 2023 season.
The preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the 2023 season was released on Monday, with Penn State coming into the season ranked number seven.
The ranking illuminates how big of expectations have been placed on the Nittany Lions for 2023. From an overall talent perspective, this could be the best team that James Franklin has had since coming to State College.
Four Big Ten teams will start the year ranked in the Top 25, with four others receiving votes.
Here is where every team Penn State plays is ranked in the coaches poll for the upcoming college football season.
West Virginia: Not Ranked
Game Date: Sept. 2
Penn State starts their season against West Virginia in primetime on NBC. It’s the first Big Ten game that will be played on the new NBC television package.
West Virginia is coming into the year unranked after finishing 2022 with a 5-7 record.
Delaware: Not Ranked
Game Date: Sept. 9
Delaware is an FCS level school so they are not eligible to be ranked on the list. However, they are a good program at their level, making it to the second round of the playoffs last season before losing to eventual champions South Dakota State.
Illinois: Not Ranked
Game Date: Sept. 16
Penn State starts their Big Ten conference play the third week of the season when they go to Illinois. The game will be broadcasted on Fox at Noon ET.
Illinois is coming off a strong season last year when they finished 8-5. They made it to the ReliaQuest Bowl where they lost to Mississippi State. After losing multiple pieces from last year’s team they come into the season unranked in the coaches poll, but did receive seven points in the voting.
Iowa: Not Ranked
Game Date: Sept. 23
Iowa comes into the season unranked as well, but they just missed the cut. They’re effectively the 26th ranked team in the country after coming up 27 points short of Texas A&M who enters as number 25.
This game will be the White Out Game at Beaver Stadium and broadcasted on CBS at 7:30 pm ET. Iowa always has a stingy defense and could make things interesting with their new look offense that should be much improved compared to 2022.
Northwestern: Not Ranked
Game Date: Sept. 30
After the White Out Game, Penn State hits the road to take on a Northwestern team that had a controversial offseason. They dismissed their long time head coach Pat Fitzgerald amidst a hazing scandal and will go into the season with an interim coach.
It will be the first time in 17 years that Fitzgerald will not be on the sidelines as the coach at Northwestern.
UMass: Not Ranked
Game Date: Oct. 14
After their bye week, Penn State will host UMass for the homecoming game. This will most likely be the easiest game on the schedule this season. UMass has had major struggles in their football program, winning a total of three games since 2019.
Ohio State: No. 4
Game Date: Oct. 21
The first ranked opponent for Penn State in the preseason Top 25 will be against Ohio State in Columbus. After making it to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff last year, the Buckeyes return a lot on both sides of the ball, making them one of the favorites in the Big Ten again.
This will be a major test for the Nittany Lions. They have not beaten Ohio State in six games and haven’t won in Columbus since 2011. Could this be the team that breaks these streaks?
Indiana: Not Ranked
Game Date: Oct. 28
Penn State returns home after their battle with Ohio State to take on Indiana. Since the 2019 and 2020 seasons when they accumulated a record of 14-7, it’s been a struggle for the program. The last two seasons they’ve won a combined six games.
Indiana’s head coach Tom Allen could be on the hot seat if they have another disappointing season and with many of the players transferring out during the offseason, that could be the case in 2023.
Maryland: Not Ranked
Game Date: Nov. 4
Penn State heads to Maryland to play the Terrapins on the road this season. They return a ton of experience, especially on the offensive end where the programs all-time leading passer, Taulia Tagovailoa is back for another season. They aren’t in the Top 25 but did receive 10 points in the voting.
This could be a tricky game going on the road to face a team that will be hungry to pull a major upset, especially as they stare down a matchup with their next opponent.
Michigan: No. 2
Game Date: Nov. 11
The highest preseason ranked team on the schedule this season is Michigan. After making it to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season and repeating as Big Ten champions, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
Michigan returns a lot of players from last year’s team and will try to get back to the CFP for the third year in a row. Penn State has not beaten Michigan in two seasons, but will host them for what will be one of the biggest showdowns of the year.
Rutgers: Not Ranked
Game Date: Nov. 18
Coming off their battle with Michigan, Penn State will host Rutgers the following week. It will be the fourth year in the second stint of Greg Schiano at Rutgers. After getting to a bowl game in 2021, they failed to make it back after winning four games last season.
Schiano always has his team ready to play hard, especially if they can pull off a major upset. Penn State will have to be ready to play coming out of their rivalry game the previous week, no matter what the results were.
Michigan State: Not Ranked
Game Date: Nov. 24
Penn State will take on Michigan State in Detroit on Friday night to compete for the Land Grant Trophy. They’ll be playing in Ford Field, where the Detroit Lions play their home games. The field is a dome and should favor Penn State’s style of play.
After going 11-2 in the 2021 season, Michigan State had a down year going 5-7 in 2022. There’s some questions about who their starting quarterback will be this season after last year’s starter transferred out late. By the time these two match up, there should be some stability by then.
