As the scoreboard displayed a score of 45-37, Penn State’s dreams of winning the Big Ten Championship encountered a setback. However, their hopes of making it to the playoffs remained intact. The Nittany Lions had an exceptional season, securing the final spot in the College Football Playoff and leaving their rivals in their wake. The analysts accurately predicted that a mere stumble would not prevent

Penn State from chasing glory. With a promising path ahead of them, the team is now facing a critical moment as they aim to transform their heartbreak into triumph and make headlines.

No one could have imagined in their wildest dreams that even losing could land you in a favorable situation as Penn State is in right now. Like obviously the team couldn’t get a direct entry into the quarterfinals, but it’s not like their road towards it was very tough, as predicted by analyst Josh Pate way before their game. “What we did was we watched the winning team get set up to have the toughest of all the second round games like we predicted five days ago, and then we watched the losing team, that’d be Penn State right there if you’re watching on your screen, get set up with the most advantageous position imaginable,” he said.

Penn State had a pretty tough schedule as compared to SMU, and this will be their time to prove themselves. Plus, their defense is something that is hard to break into, which is very beneficial for them. Moreover, if SMU loses, there is no way they have an entry into the playoffs, and the cherry on top moment for Penn State is they will face Boise State for the semifinals and make a big impact on the field.

Moreover, Josh Pate also highlighted the fact that it’s going to be easy for Penn State to win against SMU, as the game is going to take place in their home, and that might add a lot of value to their success. As he says, “I’m just saying they, as their punishment, will play SMU in 15-degree weather in Pennsylvania in a couple of weeks. They will be favored by over a touchdown; they already are.” Now the weather could be a possible setback.

Talking about SMU, the team has yet to face a strong opponent, and knowing that they even lost against the Clemson Tigers is the major reason behind such speculations. Whereas in the case of Penn State, the team has already faced two top teams in the league, the Ducks and OSU; they did lose their game but also learned a definite lesson from it. Looks like they might take the cake, but only if they hold up their game against SMU smartly.

Things Penn State needs to do for a win

You can call it a format advantage or fate. Penn State is actually in the playoffs and will definitely be a tough competitor for other teams in the run for the championship title. However, there are also certain areas where the team needs to make sure they don’t repeat the same mistakes they did against Oregon, which took their only chance to win a first-round bye. Even though the team has a strong defense, it was really tough for them to stop the Ducks offense in the game. Especially with Dillon Gabriel’s run and two exceptional touchdowns in the first quarter, the situation was even worse for them.

Despite the loss, their playoff entry keeps their season alive and gives them a chance to make an impact. And knowing the fact that Penn State is a team that can make a strong presence in the championship, even their head coach, James Franklin is very confident about their success.

After the game he said, “Obviously, there were still some hurt feelings and raw emotions, but overall, I think guys get it and understand that we have a ton of football left in front of us, as long as we handle it the right way.” That’s the benchmark of success for them now that they are going to go up against SMU. Let’s see if any of the teams can actually handle their game properly against them or not.