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Neil Rudel

Player, coach movement kicking in

Some notes to digest as the Nittany Lions gear up for their first College Football Playoff appearance: n This is attrition season in college football, and it started for Penn State on Thursday with the announcement that safety Kevin Winston Jr. will enter the NFL Draft. Winston missed almost the entire year with a knee injury that required surgery after he left the Bowling Green game on Sept. 7. He was voted a team captain as a junior after a strong 2023 season, and his presence with Jaylen Reed gave the Lions two dynamic safeties. Winston’s absence was particularly noticeable ...

Has this been James Franklin’s best coaching job? 2016 championship season still must rank at the top

As Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend.” I’m going with 2016, at least for now. That could potentially change this year with a win Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game over No. 1 Oregon and if the Nittany Lions advance in the College Football Playoffs. All of that is still on the table for James Franklin. While he’s done a very nice job this year, building on his weaknesses of the past and not allowing a loss to Ohio State to carry over and beat the Lions in consecutive weeks, I’m not ready to put this coaching job in front of the one he did in 2016 ...

Lions poised for playoff success

UNIVERSITY PARK — Don’t look now, but Penn State has as much right to think it can win the national championship as anybody. In a year without a true dominating team, the Nittany Lions just keep chugging along and are now the No. 3 ranked team in the country, behind Oregon and ...

PSU playing like it’s on a mission

When it comes to evaluating the Nittany Lions, not this year but also previously under James Franklin, many across the country — myself included — have a tendency to point to what isn’t. That, of course, is tied to the Ohio State albatross. There’s no escaping that narrative, at least until it changes, but this season is providing another positive example of what is. With the clock nearing midnight on the regular season, and just two games left, Penn State stands at a sturdy 9-1, ranked No. 4 in the country and has at least matched expectations so far for 2024. The ...

Beating USC would be win to brag about

Gameday Saturday: Penn State at USC,3:30 p.m. The line: Penn State by 4.5-points TV: CBS Radio: WRKY-FM 104.9 By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com James Franklin typically begins his post-game press conferences with some items he feels good about. After last week’s win over UCLA, it didn’t take him long to remind us the Nittany Lions are 5-0 for the fourth straight year, that “we’re the only school in the country to start 5-0 in each of the last four years,” and added it’s the first time that’s happened in Penn State history. It could be construed as ...

PSU Point/Counterpoint: Are college football polls still relevant?

Here’s the Twitter answer to this week’s question: OMG, no. When they first began in the 1930s, the Associated Press (writers) and United Press International (coaches) polls served a purpose and helped build interest and got people talking and debating about college football. As the sport went decades without a true playoff system, the polls were a way to sustain the status quo and crown a mythical national championship. Repeat: Mythical. Penn State, in particular, paid a price. The Nittany Lions had four undefeated teams that fell short of being voted No. 1 in the final ...