CBS Sports makes bold projection for Penn State's football season

This offseason, perhaps the hardest team to pin down in terms of potential on-field success has been the Penn State Nittany Lions. After a disappointing season in Happy Valley that saw the team finish at .500, wholesale changes were made, including at head coach. Now, Matt Campbell is responsible for leading a new era of Penn State football, one filled with many transfers and uncertainty. As a result, there has been a wide variance of opinion about how the upcoming season will play out. According to CBS Sports, Penn State fans may have to temper expectations of some other pundits saying they could make a CFP run.

CBS Sports' brad Crawford has Penn State just missing out on a CFP berth, facing Texas A&M in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This could be a case of the Nittany Lions simply not having the schedule strength to contend for the CFP. Much like last season, the Nittany Lions start off with the easiest of non-conference slates, getting Buffalo, Temple, and Marshall all at home. In fact, their hardest matchup might come at home against a USC team that has similar questions surrounding their contention.

This all makes for an intriguing debate about how the Nittany Lions should be viewed this offseason. A team filled with change, it remains to be seen if that can lead to on field results. While the team certainly has the schedule for success, it doesn't necessarily mean they could look as strong as we think.