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Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt is really high on Penn State coming into the 2025 season.He released his way-too-early top 25 this coming year, with the Nittany Lions earning a top spot.
However, on his podcast, Klatt expressed his concerns about head coach James Franklin and the program's inability to win high-stakes matchups.
"I like this team. I like this team a lot," Klatt said."The last hurdle Penn State has, Penn State has proven, really for a number of years, they will absolutely take care of business. They will beat the teams that they should beat. But what we haven’t seen from Penn State is them rise up and win the game that I would call a matchup game.
"When they’re looking across, and the talent is equated, and they may even be a bit of an underdog, can they win that game? Because up until this point, they haven’t."
Klatt pointed out Penn State's record against ranked teams.
"Penn State is widely considered one of the premier teams in college football," he said. "Its track record as of success is impeccable, however their inability to win against top tier teams remains in question Franklin has gone 4-20 against ranked teams in the AP Top 10 during his time with the program a glaring."
Still, Klatt believes Penn State can go all the way next season and win a national title.
"Can they? Yes. I absolutely believe that they can,” Klatt said. “They beat SMU, they beat Boise State. But then they lose to Notre Dame. We see this in the Big Ten schedule where they haven’t been able to beat the Michigan of the world and the Ohio States. I mean, they were close. They were close.”
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However, on his podcast, Klatt expressed his concerns about head coach James Franklin and the program's inability to win high-stakes matchups.
"I like this team. I like this team a lot," Klatt said."The last hurdle Penn State has, Penn State has proven, really for a number of years, they will absolutely take care of business. They will beat the teams that they should beat. But what we haven’t seen from Penn State is them rise up and win the game that I would call a matchup game.
"When they’re looking across, and the talent is equated, and they may even be a bit of an underdog, can they win that game? Because up until this point, they haven’t."
Klatt pointed out Penn State's record against ranked teams.
"Penn State is widely considered one of the premier teams in college football," he said. "Its track record as of success is impeccable, however their inability to win against top tier teams remains in question Franklin has gone 4-20 against ranked teams in the AP Top 10 during his time with the program a glaring."
Still, Klatt believes Penn State can go all the way next season and win a national title.
"Can they? Yes. I absolutely believe that they can,” Klatt said. “They beat SMU, they beat Boise State. But then they lose to Notre Dame. We see this in the Big Ten schedule where they haven’t been able to beat the Michigan of the world and the Ohio States. I mean, they were close. They were close.”
Continue reading...
