In their first game of the season, the Nittany Lions came out swinging and never looked back in their 45-0 thumping of Marshall. Every unit on the field seemed in sync, especially the offense, where new QB Rocco Becht looked highly efficient, spreading the ball around to a deep receiving corps. After this performance, it is fair to expect that the Nittany Lions could see some movement in the latest college football polls. However, due to the performances of other teams around them, they may have to wait until the meat of their schedule to make a move.
As the No. 17 team in the US LBM Coaches Poll to start the season, it will be hard for Penn State to differentiate themselves early on in their schedule. A win against Marshall with very few mistakes
is a solid start, especially when you have a new-look squad with a lot of new faces. Still, teams like Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo won't tell us the whole truth about how the Nittany Lions. For now, the Nittany Lions should be content with where they stand. However, other results around the Big Ten should give them confidence of maybe sneaking out some wins that could make them a dark horse playoff contender.
No. 16 Michigan needing a desperate miracle to overcome Western Michigan could mean that while the Wolverines could be unranked when Penn State plays them later in the season thatthe Nittany Lions could have an easier test ahead of them. Washington also didn't look wholly convincing in their Apple Cup victory over Washington State. All of these can be taken into consideration for when Penn State plays these squads.
Still, it is only Week 1 and the blue and white are simply on to next week against Temple.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Why Penn State should not expect much movement in the polls
