This is not based on my own personal opinion, or the opinion of my 17-year-old little brother who sent me a long rant Sunday about why the committee is wrong. As a Penn State student and fan, I was disappointed with the selection but playing in the Rose Bowl is definitely nothing to look over. It seemed like Penn State passed the committee’s “eye test” and did everything necessary to get that playoff spot, but that proved to not be the case. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions did not get the most fair decision in their favor, and here’s why:
1. Alabama and 2. Clemson:
No one can even act surprised at Alabama and Clemson claiming the first and second spots in the CFP (College Football Playoffs) rankings. Both teams faced difficult opponents and had a solid grip on their league for the duration of the regular season. Now, it is time to see if either team can be knocked off, which would be bad for the Alabama fans who already had their tickets bought and trips booked back in August for the BCS National Championship game.
3. Ohio State:
The committee put Ohio State in the CFP over Penn State. I can not say I’m surprised by this decision, seeing that the Buckeyes did finish 11-1 on the season. I do think that with an OSU playoff berth there should be a PSU playoff berth as well, seeing that PSU is the Big 10 champion and OSU is not. The Nittany Lions finished 11-2, winning the Big 10 championship game over #6 Wisconsin. Not to mention, the head-to-head winner is Penn State having beat Ohio State 24-21 in October. No one is going to argue that Ohio State is not a good team, because they are one of the strongest in the country. The Buckeyes defeat over #3 Michigan was definitely a huge factor into the committee's selection, meaning that the Penn State loss to Michigan at the beginning of the season must have held more weight in the decision then many hoped it would. Penn State’s appeal to the committee should have been the comeback from the crippling loss faced in Ann Arbor earlier in the season. After the Michigan game, the Nittany Lions won eight straight league games and then the Big 10 championship. Anyone can confidently say that if Penn State were to face Michigan again, the narrative would be much different now. Coming back from a 2-2 record, to beating Ohio State, easily beating league opponents, and moving from unranked at the beginning of the season to being ranked seventh going into the championship game shows growth and strength. These traits are why this college football playoff system was established, to allow those who might have had a slower start to their season have the ability to come back and be in playoff contention. The Penn State Nittany Lions were the perfect example of why we have this playoff system, so why was their opportunity taken from them? (side note: Urban Meyer is not a huge fan of this playoff system allowing non-conference champions to receive playoff berths, or at least he wasn’t until Sunday at 12:30 p.m.)
4. Washington:
Washington clinched the PAC 12 with a convincing defeat over Colorado. This season has been impressive for Washington, having gone 12-1 to finish the season (their only loss at the hands of number 20 USC). In comparison to Penn State’s regular season schedule, however, Washington’s wins are not as convincing for a playoff spot over the Big 10 champions. The Big 10 has been referred to as the hardest college football conference this season, but the only game UW had against a Big 10 team was Rutgers. Although this resulted in a Husky win, Rutgers finished 2-11, losing to every league opponent causing the Scarlet Knights to finish last in the division and conference. So this win is not too impressive. Let’s take a look at the rest of the Husky’s regular season schedule:
September 30: Washington would find itself facing an in-league match up with then ranked #7 Stanford (who would finish the season ranked 18). UW went into this game ranked 10, so coming out with a victory helped the Huskies secure a #5 ranking going into the next week. This game would be the game that helped Washington secure a top 10 spot for the rest of the season. There is an argument that this win, over a team ranked not much higher than UW, was their most impressive win.
October 29: After wins over Oregon and Oregon State, the #4 Huskies would face #17 Utah for a 31-24 win. Even with the win, UW would find themselves back in the #5 spot in the week’s rankings.
November 12: Going into their game against number 20 USC, Washington would find themselves back in the #4 spot. The Trojans upset win over their conference rival would bump UW to the 6th spot for that next week’s rankings.
November 25: #5 Washington would go into the final week of regular season play taking on number 23 Washington State. A win over the Cougars would send the Huskies into the PAC 12 championship #4 in the CFP rankings.
December 2: Washington would face #8 Colorado for the PAC 12 championship game. UW would clinch the title that would leave them in playoff contention. This would be Colorado’s second loss to a team that was at the time ranked in the top 5 (#4 Michigan on September 15), whereas the highest ranked team UW would see all season was Stanford ranked #7 early on in the season (who would end in the 18 spot). Colorado, bearing the same conference record as Washington, received a loss from USC just like Washington, their other loss coming from a non-conference game against then #4 Michigan. In conference, both teams played the same. Out of the conference, both played Big 10 teams but only one was ranked (highly ranked if I may point out). Otherwise, both teams had nearly identical regular season schedules.
In the PAC 12, they head into the upcoming bowl games with four teams ranked in the top 25, only one in the top 10. The Big 10, however, has three teams ranked in the top 6. Some say it is fair that another conference is represented, but I say that this game is not about pleasing everyone. Penn State and even Michigan should be considered over Washington due to a more difficult regular season schedule. Penn State played two teams in the top five (at the time they went head-to-head) and took down the #2 team in the country. Plus they defeated Iowa, who would hand Michigan their first loss of the season, and they handed loses to other strong Big 10 programs like Minnesota, Purdue, and Indiana. The PAC 12 conference, although with its fair share of heavy hitting opponents, does not compare to the talent of the teams this season in the Big 10. Have two Big 10 teams in the CFP and once Washington puts some more power house teams on their schedule and wins their league again, then they should be considered for a playoff berth.
6. Michigan:
Michigan, having ended their season with a loss to Ohio State, were also kept out of the CFP along with PSU. Some are saying they are surprised, others disappointed, that the Wolverines finished behind the Nittany Lions in the final rankings. Some may remember Michigan shutting down Penn State back on September 24, but that was before the Penn State win over Ohio State and the Michigan loss against Iowa. Many factors went into who ranked higher than who, but in this case it is obvious what the deciding factors were:
- Obviously, Penn State being Big 10 Champions.
- Both teams ended the regular season 10-2.
- Penn State beat both Ohio State and Iowa, which were Michigan’s two losses.
- Michigan’s conference record was 7-2, whereas Penn State finished 8-1 in the conference.
It seems like Michigan players understand the lower ranking. Heisman hopeful Jabrill Peppers had no negative reaction to his team's ranking, congratulating Penn State and defending the committee’s ranking decisions.
And lastly, “The Eye Test”
For those of you unfamiliar with the “eye test,” it is the committees system of determining a team’s readiness for playoffs based on the explosiveness of their offense and a strong defense. Anyone with 20/20 vision, or common sense, knows that Penn State’s offense and defense performed beyond everyone’s expectations this season. Both the offense and defense, respectively, are one of the best in the college football right now. Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley were the catalyst of the Penn State offensive upswing. This combination brought this offense the spark it need to produce the yardage and points needed to win football games. The Nittany Lion defense everyone loves also performed well this year. Although LinebackerU faced some early challenges as a result of injury, the defense was able to bounce back and perform how they always had, some may argue even better. With this young and new explosive offense and the same old strong defense, Penn State without a doubt should have passed the “eye test,” leaving many to wonder what more Penn State possibly could have done in the eyes of the committee.
In conclusion, what is done is done. There is no changing the result, only embracing it. The Nittany Lions will play the USC Trojans for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on January 2, 2017. The Rose Bowl is iconic and it is truly exciting to see Penn State head out to the west coast and play for such a coveted trophy. It is upsetting that any opportunity at the playoffs was lost but it is more ammunition for next year. Watch out college football, Penn State’s new reign has only begun.
