Penn State & Notre Dame Fall Prey to Bizarre CFP Judgment as James Franklin & Marcus Freeman Draw Sympathy

The advent of the 12-team college football playoff format has been polarizing, to say the least. Fans and stakeholders alike are divided into two factions, with some overlapping in between. Kind of like a Venn diagram of sorts. There are those who despise it and embrace tradition. Those who love the potential chaos and broader reach it shall bring about. In the middle somewhere are people who’re waiting for the pieces in the puzzle to fall before making up their minds. For those with a rooting interest in either Penn State or Notre Dame, the puzzle is forming an ugly picture.

Both schools have lived up to the billing this season. They are ranked at #3 and #4, respectively, by the CFP committee, and for good reason. Yet, the path they will seemingly traverse en route to a Natty will be treacherous. More treacherous than teams that are ranked below them even. All because of a stipulation that supports equality and fairness in theory but maybe not in reality.

Under the currently devised format, the top 4 conference champions get auto-bid into round 2, regardless of their ranking. This means that teams that are ranked below Penn State and Notre Dame but play in “easier” conferences get a bye. While those two will have to play an extra game. This stipulation was lamented by football analyst Todd McShay, who labeled it “crazy.”

McShay posted an excerpt from his YouTube show on IG, discussing his issue with the CFP. “Get rid of the top 4 Conference Champions claiming the top 4 seeds”, he said. “I get [that] like, on paper- months ago, when this was all decided- it sounded like ‘let’s reward those conferences’. Get out of here, man. Get out of here. It’s crazy. Oregon should be the 1 [seed]. Texas should be the 2 seed. Penn State should be the 3 seed. Notre Dame should be the 4 seed if the seeding was done today. The top 4 teams in the rankings should be the top 4 seeds. Boise State is getting a bye? SMU is getting a bye?” 

After their win in the MW Championship Game, Boise State has indeed locked up a bye. SMU has yet to face off against Clemson in the ACC variant, but they are favorites. Marcus Freeman-led Notre Dame is in a unique spot. Since they are independent of any conferences, the top 4 seeds were never even open to them. They’re locked into the 6th seed, most likely behind the top 4, plus the loser of the Big 10 Championship. This brings us to Penn State, which still controls its destiny for a top 4 berth.

Penn State will get an unlikely shot at the #1 seed, which few saw coming

The B1G Championship Game in Indy threw up a surprise participant in the end. Ohio State was expected to join Oregon all along. But their loss to Michigan means the Nittany Lions are afforded the opportunity instead. Not only is it an opportunity to win the conference, but a shot at the No. 1 seed.

If James Franklin can overcome his infamous big-game issues and win, Penn State will displace Oregon. Even if they’re not ranked no.1 by the committee, they’ll be the 1 seed. A bye-week will, therefore, ensue. Not only will this give them extra rest, but it will lessen the chance of players picking an untimely injury by virtue of simply not playing.

Oregon is a -3.5-point favorite to win the B1G. However, the season has thrown enough shocks to know this could be anybody’s game. If Penn State pulls an upset, it will be Oregon that falls prey to the titular CFP judgment. The cycle of disdain with the format then continues with Eugene at the epicenter.