Week 1 Predictions

Penn State Blue and White 2022

In Week 1, the Penn State Nittany Lions are set to take on the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. I think this will set the tone early and  will be a strong first week match up for Penn State. First off, right out of the gate Penn State will have their first Big 10 match up of the season. These two haven't had a meet up since the 2019 season when Penn State won 35-7.  Purdue ended their 2022 season with a 9-4 overall record.

Purdue currently has lost two players with Marvin Grant entering into the transfer portal and Milton Wright failing to make academic eligibility. The Wright news wasn't all unexpected, as he was ineligible to play in bowl game against Tennessee during the 2021 season. However, I believe this still serves as a loss to the Boilermakers. 

Aidan O'Connell returns at quarterback for the Boilermakers. In my opinion, I honestly don't think that O'Connell is a bad quarterback. He came off a good run during the 2021 season and I think he will give the Penn State defense a good run for their money. He is very accurate and has a good precision, while also being a good leader to his offense. Last season alone, he completed 315 of 440 passes during just 8 games, while also tossing up 28 touchdowns. 

I think if Sean Clifford is the starter for Week 1, it will be a little bit of an important matchup for him. Clifford didn't come off that great of a run and it will be important for him to redeem himself. during the 2021 season, he made 428 attempted passes, while only completing 261 of those. He tossed up 21  touchdowns during the season. I genuinely believe this season will be better for him and I'm excited to see if he can improve coming off last season. 

With that being said, I have Penn State winning week one. They have a strong defense and I think they'll be able to hold down O'Connell. Don't be mistaken though, Purdue is in their home environment and I believe that they will come out strong against Penn State.