Where is Penn State in ESPN’s final preseason SP+ for 2022?
The start of a new college football season is now just days away, and ESPN has closed the books on its preseason SP+ rankings. And if the final preseason update to the SP+ rankings is any indication, Penn State should have a nice rebound season on their hands this fall.
Penn State is ranked No. 13 in the final; preseason SP+ rankings for the 2022 season. This is the same ranking Penn State had in this metric at the conclusion of spring football practices. Penn State’s overall SP+ went up slightly from 16.3 to 16.5.
Penn State’s offensive SP+ of 30.2 ranks 48th in the nation, but the defensive SP+ of 13.7 ranks sixth to help boost the average in Penn State’s favor. If nothing else, this is another indication that the biggest questions the Nittany Lions have to address is the offensive production and consistency.
Penn State’s SP+ ranking currently predicts 5.8 conference wins for Penn State in 2022, and 8.2 wins overall. That may not quite be what Penn State fans expect to see out of the team this season, but it would be an improvement from the past couple of seasons.
Alabama is the top team in the SP+ rankings, and they are followed by defending national champion Georgia. Ohio State is the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the SP+ rankings; the Buckeyes are ranked No. 3 in the SP+ rankings. Michigan, at No. 6, is the only other Big Ten ranked ahead of Penn State in the final preseason SP+ rankings.
The month of September will likely carry some influence on Penn State’s SP+ ranking early in the season. A 4-0 start could easily see a move up, while some struggles on the road against Purdue and Auburn could see a quick drop in the SP+ calculations.
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