LOS ANGELES — A thrilling comeback, aided by a historic tight end performance, has Penn State’s College Football Playoff hopes more than alive and well.
With a favorable remaining schedule that should only include one ranked team (Ohio State), James Franklin’s No. 3 Nittany Lions are a strong bet to capitalize on the first year of the 12-team playoff format. Penn State shouldn’t finish any worse than 11-1 with road trips against Wisconsin and Minnesota the only other real tests left on the schedule.
After just missing the cut in recent years, annually boxed out of the playoff by Ohio State and Michigan, this was the preseason expectation for a program that likely would have made six playoff trips if the 12-team format began in 2014 when Franklin first arrived. Franklin’s struggles against the Big Ten’s powerhouses are well-known — he is 4-16 against Michigan and Ohio State while at Penn State — and might be one of the biggest winners of the Big Ten deciding to scrap its divisions.
If Franklin does what he’s supposed to and Penn State can host a playoff game, everyone should be extra happy in Happy Valley.
But watching Penn State struggle to defend USC’s offense for much of Saturday’s come-from-behind overtime win contrasted with the two teams that played later Saturday night in Oregon, it still feels like Penn State is not quite ready to compete for national championships. Indeed, the Nittany Lions may be ranked No. 3 but are sixth in national championship odds. Even making the Big Ten Championship for a chance at a playoff bye will still likely depend on beating Ohio State on Nov. 2.
Can Penn State beat Ohio State inside Beaver Stadium? Absolutely, although Ohio State still looks like it’s at another level especially on…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/penn-state-is-destined-for-spot-in-college-football-playoff-but-a-national-title-still-seems-a-step-too-far/
Author : John Talty
Publish date : 2024-10-14 19:23:17
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