College football guru Phil Steele didn't need to look far to find a team that thrived in Penn State's current position.



TCU went 4-8 in 2013 and had the nation's No. 87 offense, which was part of a two-year offensive skid after coordinator Justin Fuente, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, left in 2011. The Horned Frogs ranked Nos. 68 and 87 nationally in scoring offense in 2012-'13, prompting coach Gary Patterson to make a big move.



Co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie were hired two weeks after the 2013 season. They inherited a young, multi-dimensional athlete in Trevone Boykin and were charged with maximizing his talent as a true quarterback while developing and leaning on elite skill players.



The new spread attack was designed to make quick reads more so than rely on Boykin's ability to make plays with his legs. A side benefit at the time was helping an offensive line that had its share of struggles the previous two seasons.

TCU's results were immediate, and they were prolific.



The Horned Frogs went 12-1 in 2014, and Boykin blossomed into an All-American. TCU nearly doubled its scoring output to 46.5 points per game to rank No. 2 nationally in that category, finishing the 2014 season as the No. 3 team in the country in the Associated Press poll.



TCU is an ideal blueprint for Penn State to follow after the hiring of Joe Moorhead and his installation of a new spread offense. While Steele doesn't see the same type of sudden surge in Happy Valley, he is bullish on the new offense and projects the unit to make big improvements across the board.



"I'm not expecting the same type of improvement from Penn State, but I think the personnel, the offense, fits better and you're going to see this team drastically improved upon the 20 and 23 points per game they put up the last two years," Steele concluded.

The potential benefits of an offensive switch are apparent and should translate to James Franklin's most successful season in Happy Valley, according to Steele. Franklin's new offense more closely aligns with his vision for the program and features a good mix of talent to execute Moorhead's spread concepts.

"I love the new offense," Steele said. "It's an Oregon-style offense, which means the offensive line doesn't have to hold its blocks as long. The quarterback is more mobile. Those stats I look at when I examine an offensive line, sacks and yards per carry, both should [improve] drastically this year."

That progress starts with Trace McSorley, who is expected to win the starting quarterback job this summer despite Franklin's recent plea to not write off Tommy Stevens. McSorley was a proven winner in high school who arrived as a three-star prospect in the 2014 recruiting class. He's spent two seasons as Christian Hackenberg's backup, flashing skills and confidence in small doses in the TaxSlayer Bowl and the Blue-White game in April.

Saquon Barkley is the centerpiece of the offense as one of the nation's most dynamic running backs, and he's joined by freshman dynamo Miles Sanders. Chris Godwin leads a deep group of wide receivers that features sure-handedness (DaeSean Hamilton), sky-high ceilings (Saeed Blacknall, Irvin Charles, Juwan Johnson) and shifty, elite speed (Brandon Polk, D'Andre Thompkins).

"Trace McSorley showed me a lot in the bowl game," Steele said. "He should be a good fit for the offense. They not only have one of the best running backs in the Big Ten in Saquon Barkley, but Miles Sanders comes in, a true freshman. He was my No. 3-rated running back coming out of high school. I think he's going to bring a spark. The receiving corps looks solid. And the offensive line, which has been a hindrance the past two years, I think will be improved in the new offense."

A hindrance might be an understatement for a maligned group that hit rock bottom, in terms of depth and experience, when Franklin arrived in 2014. The Nittany Lions have ranked last in the Big Ten in sacks allowed in each of the last two seasons. The total last season (39) was just marginally better than the 44-sack beating Christian Hackenberg took as a sophomore in 2014, but Steele saw progress.

"You've got to like the fact they figure to be stronger, and really can only improve," Steele said. "Penn State's offensive line did improve some last year. There's no doubt about it. The first game of the season they gave up 10 sacks. After that, they only gave up 29 in the final 12 games. They did improve from 2.9 to 4.1 yards per carry. Saquon Barkley helped that out a lot. I think with a mobile quarterback, you're going to see those stats really improve."

Steele is projecting Noah Beh to win the starting job at right tackle and for redshirt freshman Ryan Bates to start at left guard. Moving Andrew Nelson to left tackle looks like more than just a spring experiment. Brian Gaia is the heavy favorite to stat at center, and Brendan Mahon and Derek Dowrey are contenders to start at right guard. Talented true freshmen Connor McGovern and Michal Menet could make a push for early playing time.

Penn State's offense and defense will both be put to the test early with road trips to Pittsburgh (Sept. 10) and Michigan (Sept. 24) and a home contest against Temple (Sept. 17). The Nittany Lions are still young and enter the year as the Big Ten's fifth-least experienced team, according to Steele's experience chart. But youth isn't an automatic indictment of Penn State's ability to win games early, Steele said.

Marquee home dates with Ohio State (Oct. 22), Iowa (Nov. 5) and Michigan State (Nov. 26) can go a long way toward dictating how good Penn State can be in 2016, Steele said. The Nittany Lions are 9-point underdogs against OSU, a 1-point dog to Michigan State and a 1-point favorite over Iowa, according to lines released this week by SouthPoint Hotel Casino.

"If Penn State can take care of business at home in those games, Penn State is a legitimate contender in the East," Steele said. "Getting those three games at home is huge."

The schedule should give Franklin ample opportunity to secure the biggest win of his Penn State coaching career. The pressure is on Franklin to move the program forward and deliver a better on-field product to match his early recruiting successes. Steele predicts that will happen with a strong push toward eight-plus wins.

"There's going to have to be that on-field success," Steele said. "We know the guy can recruit. There's no doubt about that. Penn State has been bringing in some great recruiting classes. I think when you look at the first two years, maybe a little bit of one arm tied behind the back. Granted, Christian Hackenberg was a great talent but he just wasn't a perfect fit for the offense.

"They might be an underdog in as many as five games, but I think a couple of those games fall into the winnable category, and that's why I think they'll top last year's seven-win total."