How Penn State Football climbs back into College Football Playoff

Following a heartbreaking loss at Iowa last Saturday, it would be very easy to immediately write off Penn State Football’s playoff hopes, but don’t count them out just yet.

Despite losing on the road, to undefeated Iowa, Penn State Football’s College Football Playoff chances are anything but dashed.

“It should still be there…don’t lose hope…because you still have that chance” – former Penn State Football quarterback Matt McGloin on the Paydirt Podcast when asked if fans should still have hope that the Nittany Lions can reach the college football playoff.

In the perfectly imperfect world of college football, the loss to the Hawkeyes may just be the ‘perfect’ loss for the Nittany Lions.

Why’s that?

First, it is a non-divisional loss, so Iowa holding a head-to-head win over Penn State is irrelevant in terms of a tie-breaker within a division. Second, if you’re going to lose, it might as well be on the road, in a tough environment, against one of the best teams in the country … by only three points.

“A loss is a loss”.

Not entirely true in college football, not when resumes have so much to do with everything. In a sport where a competitive loss against a good team is almost as good as an ugly win against a bad team. In college football, not all losses are created equal, and a “good loss” is far better than a “bad loss”.

Finally, the best part about the loss to Iowa? The fact that the Nittany Lions still control their own destiny to get a rematch with them, and potentially have a different outcome the second time around.

Penn State Football obviously has a lot of business to take care of for that to happen, so lets dive into how the Nittany Lions still can reach the College Football Playoff

Penn State Football has to win out … and they can

1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0 … just win one game, six times. It’s simple, but it’s not easy.

Now, obviously if Sean Clifford is out beyond the Illinois matchup in two weeks, this will be EXTREMELY difficult to pull off. Although, I have a good feeling he will be back by October 30th. And if he is back … look out.

Not convinced about this team even with Sean Clifford?

Lets look at a few numbers from Saturday’s loss.

In their first five games, Iowa was giving up 11.6 points per game. In just a quarter and a half with Sean Clifford? 17 points by the Nittany Lions against Iowa.

The Hawkeyes were also allowing 184.4 passing yards per game through five games. Sean Clifford threw for 146 yards in a quarter and a half against the Hawkeyes. In a full game, he would have easily blown past the average passing yards per game that Iowa allows.

Plus, opponents were completing 55.5% of their passes against Iowa’s defense through their first five games. Sean Clifford connected on 60% of his passes against the Hawkeyes.

“What about the running game?” The running game absolutely needs to improve, no doubt about that, but here’s an interesting stat. Prior to playing Penn State, Iowa allowed just two rushing touchdowns in five games…the Nittany Lions had two rushing touchdowns in the first 12 minutes against the Hawkeyes.

Essentially, the Nittany Lions moved the ball through the air against the Hawkeyes, then finished the job on the ground. They weren’t perfect, but Penn State Football’s offense was pretty darn good against a top 3 defense in the country when Sean Clifford was in there.

Oh, and the Nittany Lions’ defense is incredible too…so is their special teams.

What does all this mean? It means that they very easily could have beaten possibly the best team in the conference. The game is in the past, Penn State lost, and I’m not here to play the “if” game. The point is, they can play with and have the potential to beat anyone in the conference…even on the road.

They cannot take anyone lightly, but Penn State Football’s three toughest remaining games are; at #6 Ohio State, vs #8 Michigan, and at #10 Michigan State. Let’s briefly look at those games…

Is Ohio State better than Iowa? Maybe a little, but again, Penn State could have beaten Iowa by double digits, so there is no doubt in my mind that they can play with and beat the Buckeyes.

Michigan has looked solid, but they have played some close games against mediocre teams. They only beat Rutgers by 7 at home, and barely escaped Nebraska last week with a 3 point win. A great team? Absolutely, but the Nittany Lions can undoubtedly beat the Wolverines, especially at home.

Michigan State’s offense is their bread and butter, led by quarterback Peyton Thorne and one of the best running backs in the country in Kenneth Walker. The good news is Penn State’s strength is their defense, and it is one of the best defenses in the country. Stopping the Spartans offense is no easy task, but if any defense in the Big Ten can do it, it’s Penn State.

Moral of the story; the Nittany Lions completely control their own destiny to get a rematch with the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten championship, which would surely be entertaining … both on and off the field.

Win that, and there is probably a 99% chance Penn State Football finds themselves in the Playoff.

But just incase, here are some other rooting interests and why they might affect the Nittany Lions playoff chances …