The preseason polls continue to roll in, with the Nittany Lions checking in at No. 16 on Sports Illustrated's top 25 rankings.
With just one player on their top-100 players of 2019, SI is hinging Penn State's season on James Franklin's younger recruiting class.
Last season, Penn State took a step back after losing Saquon Barkley. To avoid a similar fate in 2019 after Trace McSorley’s departure, coach James Franklin will lean on his 13th-ranked recruiting class.
This is very consistent with where we've seen Penn State slotted over the past few days. The Coaches Poll had the Nittany Lions at No. 14, while ESPN had James Franklin's team in the No. 15 slot.
Sports Illustrated's complete ranking is as follows:
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama |
| 2 | Clemson |
| 3 | Georgia |
| 4 | Oklahoma |
| 5 | Texas |
| 6 | Ohio State |
| 7 | Notre Dame |
| 8 | LSU |
| 9 | Oregon |
| 10 | Florida |
| 11 | Michigan |
| 12 | Washington |
| 13 | Texas A&M |
| 14 | Utah |
| 15 | UCF |
| 16 | Penn State |
| 17 | Auburn |
| 18 | Iowa |
| 19 | Wisconsin |
| 20 | Mississippi State |
| 21 | Michigan State |
| 22 | Virginia Tech |
| 23 | Iowa State |
| 24 | Nebraska |
| 25 | Stanford |
