It looks like the Longhorns, and Hoosiers have got a mate this season. See, the biggest argument against James Franklin and the Nittany Lions’ 10-1 run is the fact that they have not faced anyone good. The only time they went up against a team that had a pulse and could bring in that competitive energy was Ohio State. And what did James Franklin and Co. do over there? Well, they lost 13-20. All of this does raise a point. If Penn State had the same schedule as maybe Ole Miss or even the Gators, would they even be in the 4th spot on the AP polls and the CFP ranking list?

Yeah, no shot. On The Colin Cowherd Podcast, Colin Cowherd raised the point, “It doesn’t really matter how many, I mean, I think, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon Notre Dame and like Georgia, Ole Miss. I don’t really buy Penn State.” Going from pure skill level, yes, Georgia, Fighting Irish, Ducks, Buckeyes, and even Longhorns (up to a certain extent) deserve the top 5 spots. Franklin and his boys on that list just make you scratch your head. However, here is the real kicker: John Middlekauff points out, “Um, they didn’t play anybody, and they only have one tough game, and they’re lucky. But if you told me Ole Miss played Penn State on a neutral field, I’m taking Ole Miss.”

On a good day, Lane Kiffin and Co. are gonna eat the Nittany Lions for breakfast. These are the same players who managed to hold the Bulldogs back down at 10 points and barely allowed Carson Beck to make any impact on that field. Even if we look past the blunders the team made against the Gators, Ole Miss has a solid roster that can rip apart Penn State.

Now, Middlekauff and Cowherd didn’t stop at that. They brought in another SEC team that can easily dismantle Penn State. “If they (Florida Gators) made the 12-team tournament right now and they playing Penn State first round. Where’s most of the money coming in on that game?” Middlekauff asked, and Cowherd only had one answer; “Florida”. 

It’s kind of wild how Billy Napier has managed to redeem himself. After crashing Ole Miss’ playoff dreams, the Gators proved that even when they are at their lowest, they still have the momentum to get back up and land a solid hit. In the center of it all is QB DJ Lagway, who has managed to switch up the Gators’ offense beautifully. See, the past cannot be rewritten. We have to make peace with the fact that Ole Miss and Gators are out of the playoffs, and Penn State is in. But what’s next for Franklin?

Penn State squeaking past the trap game

See, the Minnesota showdown was pretty much the final trap game for Franklin. With 10-1 secured a very close 26-25 win against the Golden Gophers, there is pretty much nothing stopping the boys from getting a direct seed into the semi-finals.

However, here is the thing: if we are to go off of that Gophers game, there is some issue that Franklin has to resolve. Penn State has managed to hold off almost all of their opponents to the 20-point mark. The only time it passed the threshold was when it was against Bowling Green, and we all know that it was a close game.

Now, against the Gophers, the defense allowed 25 points. The offense was even trailing behind in the first half of the game. If we are to assume that they face off against a big-shot team in the playoffs, Franklin cannot allow the same mistakes to take place. A pairing against Georgia or maybe Miami will instantly sling the team out of their national championship dreams.