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ESPN's 'Mad Dog' Isn't Buying the Penn State Hype: 'That Is a Joke'

Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo dismisses Penn State's preseason ranking as flawed on ESPN's "First Take."
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State football head coach James Franklin smiles during a practice session outside Holuba Hall.
Penn State football head coach James Franklin smiles during a practice session outside Holuba Hall. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Penn State is receiving preseason affection from nearly every corner of the national media. We said "nearly," because some voices are responding to the Nittany Lions' preseason hype with doubt. Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo leads the charge.

On ESPN's take-rich show "First Take," Russo delivered this take: Penn State's preseason No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25? "That is a joke."

"How is Penn State, with their history under [James] Franklin in big spots, how are they getting a [No. 2 ranking]?" Russo said on the show. "I know their schedule is easy, but this is stupid. Second in the country?"

Penn State enters 2025 as a College Football Playoff preseason favorite based on its returning roster, elite talent across most position groups and favorable regular-season schedule. So based on that, let's line-item Russo's arguments.

Penn State and Franklin don't win big games

"They are not the second-best team in college football here on Aug. 13," Russo said. "You know why? History. They never, ever, ever respond. And that has to go into the equation when you're doing these rankings. That is a joke."

Certainly, the big-game argument is going to follow the Nittany Lions this season until they win one. The numbers are what they are: The Nittany Lions are 4-19 under Franklin vs. teams ranked in the AP Top 10 and 3-10 when also ranked in the top 10. Franklin's teams also are 1-10 vs. Ohio State (Russo said 0-10), and their only regular-season losses since 2022 are to Michigan and Ohio State.

Franklin will accept the argument, though he said this at Big Ten Football Media Days about the narrative.

"I'm extremely proud and I'm extremely confident, but again, there is complete recognition and embracing of what we got to do and where we got to go," Franklin said. "And the best part about it is, we're in total control of it, right? If we want the narrative to change, we got an opportunity to change it. We want people to shut up? We can shut them up real easy."

RELATED: The James Franklin interview: What coaching at Penn State means to Franklin

Russo isn't impressed with Drew Allar

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar throws during Nittany Lions football practice outside Holuba Hall.
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar throws during practice outside Holuba Hall. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The quarterback, I do not like in a big spot," Russo said. "He was terrible down the stretch against the Irish [in the Orange Bowl]."

Another fair assessment. The Penn State quarterback entered the 2024 postseason with a 12-game completion rate of 71.6 percent (which ranked fifth nationally) and a passer efficiency rating of 167.5 (seventh). Yet in four postseason games, Allar never completed 60 percent of his passes and was progressively less consistent. He went 13 of 22 vs. SMU, 13 of 25 against Boise State and 12 of 23 against Notre Dame. Allar did not throw for more than 171 yards in three playoff games. His passer rating in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame was a season-low 92.8.

But Allar is no longer last year's quarterback. The third-year starter is far different physically and mentally, has three transfer receivers who bring production to the offense, plays behind a superb offensive line and can rely on the nation's top running backs duo in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. As Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde wrote, "The whole program is trying to get over the biggest hump, and that starts with Allar."

Penn State and Allar are in different places this season, and the forward view of them should be high.

Penn State's roster returns don't matter

Penn State Nittany Lions running backs Nicholas Singleton (10) and Kaytron Allen (13) celebrate after a touchdown.
Penn State Nittany Lions running backs Nicholas Singleton (10) and Kaytron Allen (13) celebrate after a touchdown. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

"I don't care who they brought back, I don't care about their defense," Russo said in his takedown.

Short-sided might be underselling this take. Penn State spent the offseason putting together a roster designed to win those games that Russo says it hasn't. Franklin's retention rate was exceptional, particularly on offense, where the Nittany Lions return 10 starters.

Defensively, Penn State has four potential All-Americans in tackle Zane Durant, end Dani Dennis-Sutton, cornerback A.J. Harris and Zakee Wheatley. ESPN projects this Penn State team producing as many as 13 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Then Franklin hired two championship coaches to his staff: former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who won a title last year, and running backs coach Stan Drayton, who has rings with Ohio State and Florida. All of that has to matter at some point.

Russo's fellow panelist Louis Riddick responded with a defense of Penn State, which he called difficult to deliver as a Pitt graduate. Good show all around. Check out the segment here.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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