Can Penn State quarterback Drew Allar take the next step this season? And can the Penn State offense show up in the big game and be able to attack opponents down the field? Those are the two biggest questions heading into the 2024 college football season, which for the No. 8-ranked Nittany Lions starts next Saturday at noon in a match-up on the road at West Virginia.

Defense is widely considered to be a strength yet again for Penn State this season, but the questions about the quarterback and wide receivers remain. The addition of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who comes over from Kansas after a successful stint at creating explosive plays for the Jayhawks, should help but simply put, Penn State faithful are going to need to wait to see how the Nittany Lions’ offense performs on the field before any promises or guarantees are made.

If you have ever read this column before, you know I am always on the optimistic side, which is a rarity here in northeastern Pennsylvania when it comes to the Nittany Lions. So, per usual, let’s a take a look at my yearly Penn State football schedule prediction and break it down as we sit just one week away from the Nittany Lions’ opening kick.

Week 1 - Aug. 31 at West Virginia

West Virginia is coming off a nine-win season and is pumped up for its home match-up with PSU, which is certain to be raucous. WVU wants to run the football, and it has two good backs in Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson Jr. — and a great running quarterback in Garrett Greene — to do so. The problem there is that the Mountaineers will be looking to ground and pound a Nittany Lions front that is simply just better and is four and five deep at the defensive tackle position. Plus, the Mountaineers lost their two best OL from a season ago. On the defensive side of the ball WVU is improved, but I like the match-up for PSU. I think Penn State will be able to run the ball with success and control the tempo of the game with possibly the best running back tandem in the country in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

My Pick: PSU 33, WVU 16.

Week 2 - Sept. 7 - vs. Bowling Green

The Falcons’ strength is defense and that’s where they return their most experienced players. Bowling Green struggled on offense last season, and while they return some talented players from a season ago, all of those impact players are coming off injuries that knocked them out of play a season ago. The Falcons don’t have the fire power on offense to move the ball against the Penn State defense.

My Pick: PSU 48, Bowling Green 6.

Week 4 - Sept. 21 - vs. Kent State

The Golden Flashes are coming off a 1-11 season. Kent State should be improved, but they will have a hard time handling Penn State’s front on both sides of the ball.

My Pick: PSU 55, Kent State 7.

Week 5 - Sept. 28 - vs. Illinois

The Illini have huge question marks on the defensive side of the ball and have to replace now NFL players in defensive tackles Jer’Zhan Newton and Keith Randolph. Again, this is a team where the Nittany Lions should be able to have the edge up front and in the run game.

My pick: PSU 38, Illinois 13.

Week 6 - Oct. 5 - vs. UCLA

The Bruins brought in first-time head coach DeShaun Foster to replace Chip Kelly after he bolted to Ohio State to become their offensive coordinator. I think it’s going to be a tough year for UCLA. The Bruins also lost their defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to cross town rival USC. UCLA is a team with too many question marks on the defensive side of the ball.

My pick: PSU 41, UCLA 14.

Week 7 - Oct. 12 - at USC

Here is a dangerous game for the Nittany Lions. Miller Moss replaces No. 1 pick Caleb Williams at QB and USC fans are excited about him. Lincoln Riley is always going to have the offense playing decent, but it’s the Trojans defense that could be an issue for them this season. That unit was awful last season, and questions still remain about the talent level of that group.

My pick: PSU 35, USC 24.

Week 9 - Oct. 26 - at Wisconsin

The Badgers are on the road at USC, at Rutgers and at Northwestern three out of the four weeks before PSU comes into Camp Randall and the Nittany Lions will be coming off a bye. I just think Wisconsin will be a little beat up coming into this game. Also, Wisconsin struggled to protect the quarterback last season.

My pick: PSU 31, Wisconsin 13.

Week 10 - Nov. 2 - vs. Ohio State

The Buckeyes are loaded once again. Quinshon Judkins transfers in from Ole Miss to join TreVeyon Henderson to form one of the best backfields in the country. OSU also boasts one of the best WR groups in the country in Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and true freshman Jeremiah Smith. Caleb Downs transfers in from Alabama to play safety after an All-America freshman season and other standouts include Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau and DT Tyleik Williams up front. This is the kind of game where Allar is going to need to be ready to attack the Buckeyes down the field. Explosive plays are going to be the key. The problem is the Buckeyes are more explosive on both sides of the ball. OSU does have questions on the OL and at QB, so there is an opportunity for PSU to come away with the “W.”

My pick: OSU 34, PSU 31.

Week 11 - Nov. 9 - vs. Washington

This is going to be somewhat of a rebuilding year after the Huskies lost their head coach to Alabama and a ton of players to the NFL draft. PSU will need to bounce back quickly after the loss to Ohio State, but the good news for the Nittany Lions is that their match-up with Washington is the annual “white out” game, which should help them come away with the win.

My pick: PSU 34, Washington 21.

Week 12 - Nov. 16 - at Purdue

Quarterback Hudson Card will be a bright spot for the Boilermakers, but they return just five starters on defense.

My pick: PSU 42, Purdue 17.

Week 13 - Nov. 23 - at Minnesota

Minnesota should be better after only six wins last season. The Gophers always play the Nittany Lions tough, especially at home. But they have questions on the defensive front and in the secondary. PSU should have no issues moving the football.

My pick: PSU 33, Minnesota 20.

Week 14 - Nov. 30 - vs. Maryland

Maryland has had a tough time against Penn State of late and I expect that to continue. The Terps always have a tough time with the Nittany Lions’ pass rush, and with question marks for Maryland up front and in the pass game it should be tough for the Terps yet again.

My pick: PSU 45, Maryland 13.

There you have it. That is a lot of wins for the Nittany Lions this season. I have PSU at 11-1. I’m obviously banking on Allar and Koltelnicki to work well together and get the offense going in the right direction.