Drew Allar listed as Penn State's X Factor this season

With only a few weeks left until the start of college football, writers at ESPN took a moment to share X factors for every college football Top 25 team in 2025.

For Penn State - who they listed as their no. 1 team based on their post-spring Power Rankings - Adam Rittenberg's choice is not surprising: "QB Drew Allar's big-game performances."

"Penn State enters what appears to be an all-in season, and Allar has the ingredients to be the top NFL quarterback prospect for the 2026 draft," Rittenberg wrote. "But his play under the brightest of lights has left something to be desired. He hasn't beaten Ohio State or Michigan, he delivered some good moments in a Big Ten championship game loss to Oregon but was still intercepted twice, and threw the crucial interception in a CFP semifinal loss to Notre Dame.

"Penn State has made the necessary investments around Allar, who will share a backfield with probably the nation's top running back tandem. The time has come for the senior to be at his best in the biggest moments. If he delivers, Penn State will have a real chance at its first national title since 1986."

Being able to perform in the biggest games has been a problem for Penn State and its QBs for years. Since becoming the Nittany Lions' head coach in 2014, James Franklin only has four total wins over Ohio State and Michigan.

With arguably his best team ever suiting up this fall, he should have a good opportunity to buck that trend.