Nick Saban drops bold statement on Penn State’s natty dreams following 31-14 win against Boise State

The Penn State Nittany Lions are in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, where they will face the winner of the Sugar Bowl between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Penn State has reached this stage after convincing wins over the SMU Mustangs and the Boise State Broncos.

On Thursday's edition of "The Pat McAfee Show," seven-time national championship-winning coach Nick Saban spoke about the Nittany Lions' chances to win it all.

"I think Penn State is playing well on both sides of the ball, and I think they're a very good team," Saban said. "I'm a believer. I was not a believer in Penn State early on; I'm a believer now."

For many years, the Penn State Nittany Lions have been the third-best team in the Big Ten, always behind the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes.

This year, it was looking like the Nittany Lions would again the the third-best team, behind Ohio State and conference newcomers, the Oregon Ducks.

However, due to Penn State's strong and consistent play and Ohio State's stumble against Michigan, the Nittany Lions made the Big Ten Championship game, where they lost to Oregon. But this defeat would not stop fifth-ranked Penn State (13-2). The Nittany Lions cruised through their CFP games against SMU (winning 38-10 on campus) and Boise State (winning 31-14 on Tuesday in the Fiesta Bowl).

One of the main factors for Penn State is its outstanding offense.

Penn State's offense: The underestimated weapon?

Drew Allar, Penn State's quarterback, has generally flown under the radar this season, but his 3,197 yards with 24 touchdowns show that he is talented. Allar will be returning to the program for the 2025 season, and Nick Saban thinks that, with a good season, he could be in contention to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL draft.

However, it's the strong run game, which is supported by a talented offensive line, that is what stands out for the Nittany Lions. They have two equally strong running backs in Kaytron Allen and Nicolas Singleton.

This season, they have recorded a nearly identical stat line, with both rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring around the same number of touchdowns (Allen has eight, Singleton has nine).

Not many teams have a run game that has two talented stars and a quarterback who has been underestimated by many. These factors combine to make Penn State a hard team to beat.

However, the Nittany Lions' semifinal opponent in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 will be a formidable one. Southeastern Conference champion Georgia (11-2), ranked second, or Notre Dame (12-1), ranked third, will be tough as the Nittany Lions try to become national champions for the first time since 1986.