McElroy predicts CFP semifinal Penn State finish and SEC dominance

Penn State football's road to the national championship starts Saturday, and its currently sitting at No. 2 behind Texas in preseason rankings. While the top two teams won't meet during the regular season, it's not a long shot that the Nittany Lions and Longhorns face each other in the College Football Playoff.

Just like many other projections, Greg McElroy doesn't think head coach James Franklin's team will get the job done all the way through to winning the national title. Ohio State is the big challenge ahead for Penn State and will be in the postseason between the Big Ten Championship Game and the CFP. Though many anaysts have the Buckeyes as the Nittany Lions' postseason kryptonite, McElroy thinks the SEC will dominate both Big Ten teams.

Greg McElroy predicts Texas Longhorns beat Penn State Nittany Lions in College Football Playoff semifinals

The semifinals is a popular spot predicted as Penn State's end to the season once again. McElroy put Franklin's team as No. 1 heading into the postseason with the Longhorns at No. 4. After the Nittany Lions beats Georgia in the quarterfinals and Texas ends Notre Dame's season, the commentator has Steve Sarkisian's team putting a stop to Franklin's CFP run.

A Texas national title-winning season and the SEC halting the Big Ten's journey to a third consecutive championship win would make Paul Finebaum year before it even gets started. Though the Big Ten has the tools to win its third title, particularly with Penn State and Ohio State, a lot of faith is piling into the SEC to reclaim its spot at the top.

James Franklin and Penn State need to get over the hump to earn a projected national title

There's a lot of talk about how Franklin just won't get it done even with the best team and one of the most experienced teams on paper, and there's a chance that he does crumble under pressure before we even hit conference championships and CFP play. Falling in the semifinals for a second straight year, though, would be heartbreaking for the Nittany Lions to go out on, especially given the number of returners that came back for their final year of college eligibility for the sole reason of getting the job done.

Penn State has a lot to prove, and it won't be until it wins big games in the regular season against Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana for media and the public to start seriously considering it as a national championship-winning team. Until further notice, the Buckeyes and Longhorns have an upper hand on the Nittany Lions in the playoffs.