Penn State football ... But the Nittany Lions gave up just one more heavyweight punch than they could handle at the end of Thursday night's heartbreaking defeat in this Orange Bowl in Hard Rock ...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State ’s first-ever 16-game season is in the books and the Nittany Lions are the preseason No. 1 in Stewart Mandel’s way-too-early 2025 projections. Of course, there are still gaping holes on this team, notably at wide receiver and with a defensive coordinator who still needs to be hired to replace Tom Allen.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel is a preseason Penn State believer, placing the Nittany Lions atop his too-early top 25 for 2025. "I'm skeptical they can actually pull it off," Mandel writes, "but on paper, James Franklin's team deserves that status given how many players are returning."

The Nittany Lions return a high volume of talent from their 2024 roster — just as Michigan and Ohio State did to win titles.

Rising senior Liam Clifford is the leading returning receiver with 18 catches for 286 yards and one touchdown in 2024. And for Allar to have enough weapons to threaten things down field, Penn State could certainly use more options at the position via the spring window (April 16-25).

Penn State had a plenty successful 2024 season, finishing out with a narrow loss to national runner-up Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The Nittany Lions came away with a No. 5 ranking in the final AP Poll, the highest in James Franklin’s 11 years at the helm.

Football has long been king in South Florida. Miami has hosted 11 Super Bowls, more than any other city. The last one, Super Bowl 54 in 2020, generated over $500 million for the local economy. In February, New Orleans will tie Miami as the city to host the most Super Bowls.

Ohio State won it all, but neither the Buckeyes nor their league mates produced any drama that could contend with No. 1 on this list.

The Nittany Lions are hiring Tom Knowles, who served as defensive coordinator for the national champion Buckeyes.

The 59-year-old Knowles reportedly is signing a three-year contract worth more than $9 million, which makes him the highest-paid coordinator in the country. His hiring, which became official Monday morning, is the clearest sign that Penn State and Franklin are all in for the 2025 season.