It's not a mystery that Penn State football was one of the most disappointing programs across the country in 2025. The Nittany Lions started off as the No. 2 ranked team in the preseason and quickly proved they're anything but once Big Ten play came into action.
As the College Football Playoff National Championship Game slowly approaches, CBS Sports' Brad Crawford looked back at college football's "biggest underachievers" from the season.
While Penn State didn't end up No. 1 in the country, it ended up No. 1 on Crawford's list.
Brad Crawford says preseason hype was too much for Penn State football to handle
"After retaining a number of key players who led the Nittany Lions one win shy of a national championship game appearance last season, [head coach James] Franklin and Penn State fell quickly as a preseason top-3 team," Crawford wrote.