2005 Town and Gown Penn State Predictions: Way off Base

I picked up a copy of the 2005 Town and Gown Penn State Football Annual yesterday on my way back from a family reunion in Pennsylvania. I flipped through the predictions and found some of them absolutely incredulous. The minds that know Penn State football best are supposed to write for this annual magazine. A casual observer could have made predictions closer to the truth.

9/3 vs South Florida- W 34-6
This seems like a fair prediction. I would guess that Penn State will have a first half similar to the one against Akron last season before Joe calls of the dogs in the third quarter. My prediction- W 45-10.

9/10 vs Cincinnati- W 38-0
Again, another fair prediction. I don't see a shutout coming in any of the first three games since the first teamers are unlikely to play much after half time. My prediction- W 42-7.

9/17 vs Central Michigan- W 31-7
Penn State will score more than 31 poins against the Chippewas, heck Penn State might score double that. My prediction- W 52-10.

9/24 at Northwestern- W 21-13
The Wildcats have given Penn State trouble the past two seasons but I don't see the game being this close. Northwestern is headed for a down season after two good seasons (by Northwestern standards) the past two years. The PSU offense might not be stellar but Northwestern isn't brimming with talent on the defensive side of the ball outside of Loren Howard. My prediction- W 28-14

10/1 vs Minnesota- W 24-23
This game will really determine what type of season Penn State will have. A win could mean a shot at winning the Big Ten , a loss could be another season without a bowl game. I think Laurence Maroney is a good back but Minnesota won't have the luxury of another talented back, with the departure of Marian Barber III, to grind away at a solid front seven of Penn State. My prediction- W 24-14

10/8 vs Ohio State- L 35-13
This was the first outrageous prediction. The Buckeyes scored ONE TOUCHDOWN against the Penn State defense in Columbus last season. Ohio State's other two scores came on an interception return and a kick return. This year's defense is just as good or better, I honestly can't imagine any team this season, even the mighty Men of Troy, scoring 35 points on this defense, especially in Happy Valley. Penn State will likely struggle to score but the defense and ecstatic home crowd (I'll be in the house, something I found out this morning) should push Penn State over the top. My prediction- W 13-10

10/15 at Michigan- L 37-24
Here my predictions of wins comes to an end. However, I don't see the Wolverines racking up 37 points. If Penn State scores 24 points in any game this season, you can chalk it up as a Penn State victory. It won't matter if it's against South Floirda, Michigan or USC. My prediction- L 21-10

10/22 at Illinois- W 42-17
Not ridiculously outrageous but I think they're giving both team's offenses too much credit. Penn State will win this one handily but they will not break 40. My prediction- W 31-10

10/29 vs Purdue- L 42-21
I too see Penn State losing this one (Purdue is my pick to win the Big Ten) but they will not give up 42 points. If Purdue's offense couldn't score 42 last season, they certainly won't do it this year. My prediction- L 21-13

11/5 vs Wisconsin- W 27-17
Wisconsin didn't score much against Penn State last season in Madison and a win here would make the Nittany Lions a shoe-in for a New Year's Day bowl game. Barry Alvarez and future Badger head coach Bret Bielema always have a solid defense. My prediction- W 17-13

11/19 at Michigan State- W 31-10
I see the Spartans as a tad bit overrated head into 2005 but they always give Penn State trouble in East Lansing. Too much credit to both the Penn State offense and defense here. My prediction- W 21-14

9-2 season for Penn State. Now I can easily see 8-3 with a loss to either Ohio State or Michigan State but the bottom line is that Penn State should be headed to Florida for a bowl this season.