College football media and fans infuriated by Penn State’s fantastic draw in CFP

As James Franklin often does, Penn State lost its two biggest games of the season. The Nittany Lions finished 11-2 after Saturday night’s loss to Oregon 45-37 in the Big Ten Championship Game. However, with arguably two of the best losses on its resume, the Nittany Lions nabbed the No. 6 seed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, and potentially the best draw of any team forced to play in the first round. 

Penn State will host No. 11 seed SMU on Saturday, December 21 Beaver Stadium with kickoff at Noon ET. The Nittany Lions have opened as a six-point favorite in that matchup against a Mustangs team that lost to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game on a last-second field goal last night. Clemson’s win kept Alabama out of the CFP, and likely out of a trip to Happy Valley, which would have been a much tougher matchup for the Nittany Lions. 

Clemson’s win also threw a wrench into the first-round bye situation with the four highest-ranked conference champions now being Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State. The Broncos finished the year 12-1 with a close loss to Oregon and Heisman Trophy contender Ashton Jeanty, but are clearly the most ideal quarterfinal opponent. Meanwhile, Ohio State, which beat Penn State at home, grabbed the No. 8 seed and will host No. 9 Tennessee for a chance to play No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl. 

Needless to say, Ohio State fans and others in the media are furious with how favorable Penn State’s draw is. 

The two teams that beat Penn State this year, will likely play in a rematch of their incredible head-to-head for a spot in the CFP semifinal. Even Texas, which was awarded the No. 5 overall seed after a loss to Georgia, will play Clemson and Arizona State on its way to the semis, arguably a comparable path to Penn State’s, but likely more threatening. 

While the rest of the college football world whines, Penn State fans are thrilled about the opportunity to finally compete for a national championship under James Franklin. However, the pressure is certainly ramped up for the 11-year head coach of the Nittany Lions.