Penn State is gearing up for one of the most anticipated college football seasons in some time. Following up a trip to the Big Ten championship and semifinal round of the College Football Playoff last season has raised the bar for the Nittany Lions going into the 2025 season, which is why many in college football media appear to be thinking this could be a big season in Happy Valley.
But running the gauntlet from start to finish in college football is no easy task, especially with the prospect of a 16 or 17-game season with the postseason lumped into the equation. Essentially, the odds are fairly good Penn State will lose at least one game this college football season. When will that be? That is the big question.
CBS Sports ran through each team in the Big Ten to share some predictions on when each team will take its first loss of the season. The first major test for Penn State should be a home game against defending Big Ten champion Oregon in the whiteout game in late September. Fortunately, these CBS predictions are calling for Penn State to hand Oregon its first loss of the season that night.
If the CBS predictions are accurate, then Penn State will survive a trip to UCLA the following week and a road trip to Iowa, which is rarely an easy task. But the winning ways may be snapped by Penn State’s biggest nemesis over the past few decades, with another road game at Ohio State.
On paper, Penn State looks to have more going well for it at the start of the season compared to the Buckeyes, despite Ohio State coming off a national championship run last season. That run included a victory over Penn State, of course, as the Nittany Lions clammed up on offense in a familiar way against the most important measuring stick Penn State has had over the years of Big Ten play. But Penn State has won in Columbus just twice since joining the Big Ten in 1993, and these predictions from CBS should feel comfortable with this trend heavily in its favor.
It may be worth noting that CBS predicts Penn State will be the last team in the Big Ten to take a loss. Indiana and Minnesota are the only other teams predicted to get into at least October without a loss, in addition to Penn State.
Penn State will open the season on Aug. 30 at home against Nevada. Unless CBS is way off the mark, the Nittany Lions should be cruising to a 1-0 start to the season.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: CBS Sports predicts first loss for Penn State football