since that conference title, but Penn State hasn’t been able to get over the hump to where they want to   be. After winning the Big Ten, the new goal became beating Michigan and Ohio State in the same season and finding a way into the College Football Playoff. When the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten, they finished the regular season 10-2, so despite their win against Ohio State, the Buckeyes still went to the playoff over them.
So, what does Penn State football need to do to get over the hump? They need to improve their offense. This season showed that their defense is ready to compete against Michigan and Ohio State, but the offense wasn’t able to get anything going against those defenses. The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 20-12, and the Wolverines beat them 24-15. In both games, Penn State scored late touchdowns to make the score look a bit more reasonable. At the end of the day, the Nittany Lions weren’t able to get anything going on offense.
The good news for Penn State football is that the playoff will expand to 12 teams next year. If the format was like that this year, Penn State would be in the playoff. They still want to beat the Big Ten’s best teams and win the conference. Still, it will be nice to have a chance to compete in the playoff while having a couple blemishes on the resume.
For Penn State to get over the hump, they need to improve their offense before next year. One way they can do that is through the transfer portal. Utilizing the portal is one of the most important parts of college football today, and the Nittany Lions can find some good offensive weapons in there to help their offense. Here are a couple offensive targets that they can look at and also one defensive target.
