With Big Ten media days fast approaching and fall camp slated to open shortly thereafter, the 2024 college football season is right around the corner. In year two of the Luke Fickell era, Wisconsin has further revamped its roster but faces a daunting schedule littered with marquee matchups.

Throughout July, BadgerBlitz.com will break down each game on Wisconsin's slate. We'll continue with Penn State, a team Wisconsin hasn't faced since 2021.

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After a down stretch during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, head coach James Franklin has returned Penn State to a national powerhouse with back-to-back 10-plus win seasons. After winning the Rose Bowl after the 2022 campaign, expectations were extremely high for the Nittany Lions last fall. Ultimately, they rolled over most of their opponents but couldn't win the big game, dropping critical conference clashes with Ohio State and Michigan before falling to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

Last season, Penn State trotted out its home-grown, former top-five quarterback recruit Drew Allar. When most quarterbacks post a 25/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio, they're showered with praise. Allar, however, was criticized at times last year, as Penn State had just the 77th-best passing offense nationally in terms of yards-per-game. There were times Allar had mental lapses or missed throws, and that coupled with a schematically pedestrian offense held the Nittany Lions back. With a new offensive coordinator in town in Andy Kotelnicki, Penn State hopes it can re-ignite its arial attack.

The past two seasons, Penn State has been a team that just can't get over the hump. A Rose Bowl win in the 2022 season is certainly no laughing matter, but for two straight years the Nittany Lions have rolled over the rest of the Big Ten only to lose to Michigan and Ohio State. This year, Penn State avoids Michigan but draws Ohio State along with USC, Washington and UCLA. Expectations are high in State College as always, most of them riding on an offense taking the next step to pair with what should once again be an elite defense.

The aforementioned Allar is the main cog on this offense and one of the biggest X-factors on the team. The passing game will go as he goes, and in his second year as a starter he'll need to find a new pair of top receivers to throw to as both Keandre Lambert-Smith (Auburn) and Dante Cephas (Kansas State) found new homes via the portal this offseason.

In line to replace their production are Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming, junior Harrison Wallace III and sophomore Kaden Saunders, among others. Losing Lambert-Smith, especially, hurts, but this receiver core should still be very serviceable for Allar. It helps that Penn State also has one of the best running back duos in the nation with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

Singleton and Allen have been Penn State's starters since they both arrived on campus as freshman, and it really is a 1A, 1B situation as the two split carries nearly exactly evenly: Allen tallied 172 rushes last season while Singleton logged 171. The pair combined for 1,654 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground last season, and both backs are threats to catch the football as well. Bottling up those two should be priority one for any defense facing the Nittany Lions.

Along the offensive line, one of the bigger stories is how Penn State will replace stud left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu, who was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Interestingly enough for Wisconsin, former Badger Nolan Rucci is right in the mix to be his replacement. The former five-star recruit never managed to crack the rotation in Madison, but has an excellent chance to see his old team on the field this fall. Including Rucci, Penn State may rely on some relatively inexperienced offensive linemen to start, including interior lineman Nick Dawkins and tackle Drew Shelton.

Overall, there's no reason why this offense should be as low as 55th nationally in yards-per-game, as it was a year ago. Even with the losses at receiver and the loss of Fashanu, Penn State still boasts one of the best backfields in the country with Allar, Singleton and Allen. Just how much the Nittany Lions can improve in year two of the Allar era and with a new coordinator remains the question.

Penn State boasted one of the best defenses in the nation last season, and the pieces are certainly there to run it back, especially in the front seven.

The Nittany Lions deployed the country's stingiest rushing defense, giving up just 75.5 yards-per-game on the ground. Many of the key pieces in the trenches that allowed the run defense to flourish return, such as Abdul Carter and Danni Dennis-Sutton. The defensive line is backed by stud linebacker Kobe King, Penn State's second-leading tackler in 2023. King is an excellent tackler who led the Nittany Lions in stops, or plays that constitute a failure for the offense, per Pro Football Focus.

The passing defense was also elite last season, checking it at seventh nationally. Penn State loses more production in its defensive backfield, as it needs to replace three of its top four cornerbacks. Still, this is a secondary that's been operating near the top of the conference in recent years and should continue to do so until we see otherwise.

One of the biggest keys to the Penn State secondary this season will be Georgia transfer A.J. Harris. The true sophomore is expected to start at outside cornerback for the Nittany Lions. He was one of the biggest fish in the transfer portal after the former top-45 player in the country left Georgia after just one season. He played just 89 snaps last year, but figures to be thrown right into the fire.

This feels like a cop-out because of how obvious it is, but Allar is the Nittany Lion to keep an eye on all game long. As mentioned, Allar posted some sparkling statistics last season but struggled to truly kick Penn State's passing game into high gear. His physical tools are off the charts, but can that translate to elite quarterback play?

When Allar takes the snap, watch his feet. Watch his eyes. Watch his demeanor in the pocket. Are his fundamentals in order? Does he appear to have complete command of the offense? The former tantalizing prospect is one of the better signal-callers in the conference, but can he take a leap in year three and become a truly elite quarterback?

We spoke to Dylan Callaghan-Croley of HappyValleyInsider to get the inside scoop on Penn State:

1. What does Penn State need to do to get over the hump this year?

If Penn State is going to get over the hump this year it's going to be because offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was able to come in and unlock the full potential of Penn State’s backfield. There are few backfields in the country that have the talent that Penn State has. Drew Allar is still considered one of the top potential quarterbacks in next year’s NFL Draft thanks to his raw skills while Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen both have the opportunity to be playing on Sunday’s in 2025 as well. The offense under former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was stagnant and quite unimaginative, that will not be the case under Andy Kotelnicki. One of the brightest minds in college football, Kotelnicki has an opportunity to bring an exciting brand of football to Happy Valley, one that Penn State hasn’t seen arguably since the days of Joe Moorhead in 2016 and 2017.

2. What's the overall confidence level in Drew Allar among the Nittany Lion faithful?

There is certainly still confidence that Allar has a chance to be a special talent. As mentioned above, the raw skills are some of the best in the country. That being said, the mental side of the game was clearly a bit of an issue last season, and that was to be expected. Few quarterbacks make that transition to college football smoothly, especially in a conference that has plenty of intimidating defenses. He’ll need to take a big step up from a mental perspective but overall, the confidence is still high in Allar from Penn State’s coaching staff, to the fans, and for most of the media.

3. What will define a successful season for James Franklin and company in 2024?

A College Football Playoff appearance. That’s the only thing that would make the 2024 season a success in my opinion for Penn State. No program in college football would’ve been a bigger benefactor of an expanded playoff than the Nittany Lions over the college football playoff era. Now in an expanded playoff, James Franklin and his program have an opportunity to get to the playoffs (albeit an expanded version). If they miss on the playoffs this season, it's going to create some interesting conversations. (Not saying James Franklin would be on the hot seat but the conversations among segments of the fan base and parts of the media, especially nationally would surely be interesting.) But again, it's College Football Playoffs or bust for James Franklin and Penn State. They have the talent on offense especially at quarterback and running back, their defense should be elite once again, and their schedule while tough is manageable.

4. Who or what is the biggest X-factor on this team?

The biggest x-factor on Penn State this season in my opinion is the defensive line. We can talk about Drew Allar, or the running backs, or even the secondary but the defensive line has a chance to be one of the best in the entire country. Despite losing the likes of Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac to the NFL, Penn State has potentially two of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten in Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton. They have a strong group of depth at the position led by sophomore defensive end Jameial Lyons as well. In the interior, Penn State returns each of their top four defensive tackles from last season in Zane Durant, Hakeem Beamon, Coziah Izzard, and Dvon J-Thomas. The latter three all opted to use their final year of eligibility instead of potentially chasing their NFL Dreams. It’s not going to be the most dangerous interior defensive line but it's going to be one that is the heart of a dangerous Penn State defense and could create plenty of their own chaos in opposing backfields.

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