As the 2025 season nears, few programs carry higher expectations than Penn State. After finishing 13-3 last year, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals and going 8-1 in Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions return a packed roster and have one of the most favorable schedules among top contenders. As a result, they’ve surged to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and No. 3 in the Coaches Poll.However, not everyone thinks James Franklin's team deserves the ranking. ESPN’s Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo said during Wednesday’s episode of “First Take”:"How is Penn State, with their history under Franklin in big spots, how are they getting a (No. 2 ranking)? I know their schedule is easy, but this is stupid. Second in the country?" View this post on Instagram Instagram PostRusso’s skepticism comes in light of Franklin’s underwhelming track record in big games. Since taking over at Penn State, Franklin is only 4-19 against AP top 10 opponents and 3-10 when the Nittany Lions are ranked in the top 10 themselves. Perhaps most damning is his 1-10 record against Ohio State.While Penn State’s only regular-season losses since 2022 have come to top-tier programs like Michigan and Ohio State, Russo insists that past failures must weigh into any preseason projection."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."He also talked about quarterback Drew Allar, who enjoyed a good regular season in 2024, posting a 71.6% completion rate and ranking in the top 10 nationally in passer efficiency, but faltered during the postseason. In three playoff games (against SMU, Boise State and Notre Dame), Allar did not complete more than 60% of his passes or throw for over 171 yards."I don't care who they brought back, I don't care about their defense," Russo said.Penn State looks stronger than last year’s teamWhile Chris Russo believes otherwise, the 2025 version of Penn State isn’t last year’s team, on paper at least. Drew Allar enters his third season with more experience gained. Three proven transfer receivers joined the fold, alongside the elite backfield duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.Defensively, Penn State looks strong as well, with potential All-Americans like Zane Durant, Dani Dennis-Sutton, A.J. Harris and Zakee Wheatley.James Franklin also made aggressive offseason hires in former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, fresh off helping the Buckeyes win a national title, along with championship-winning assistant Stan Drayton, who brings experience from Florida and Ohio State.At the Big Ten media days in July, Franklin took any criticism head-on, saying:"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. 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."According to ESPN’s FPI, Penn State will enter the 2025 season ranked No. 5 in the country, with a 63.8% probability of making a return trip to the College Football Playoff and a 7.6% chance of winning the national championship.