Pressure Mounts on James Franklin as National Analyst Reveals Downside of Penn State’s Bright Playoff Fate

Penn State fans were feeling the heat after Saturday night’s heartbreaking loss to the No. 1 Oregon Ducks in the Big Ten championship, but head coach James Franklin and his squad’s mood flipped when exactly 12 hours later, they received a piece of pleasant news with some huge selection Sunday deserts. Despite the defeat, the Nittany Lions landed a cozy spot in an inaugural 12-team college football playoff, keeping their dream to win the national championship pretty much alive.

Not long after the playoff schedule came out, from analysts to fans to critics, everyone noticed a major flaw in the committee’s decision. Yeah, as per the current buzz, Penn State has quite an effortless schedule compared to teams like Oregon, who won the conference title by crushing Penn State. Now college football analyst Josh Pate has made some eye-opening remarks for James Franklin’s team.

“Penn State is in the most advantageous position out of anyone who made this playoff; they’re going to host a team from Dallas in 15-degree weather. They’ll be over a touchdown favorite against SMU they would then, if they won that, go on to play a Boise State team. Both of these teams’ rosters, by the way, would go on to face the Boise team that got a first-round bye. Guess which team would be favored by nearly two touchdowns there?…”

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He further added, “…Because it’s not the team with the first-round bye, I think about the pressure on James Franklin because for so long it’s been you can’t win the big game. You can’t win the big game. Okay, well, they competed in the big game against Oregon; they came up short, but now they’re in a position where they’re in the playoff. Anyway, it’s expanded; that’s why they’re in but they’re in the playoff. Penn State has got a water slide in front of them into the semi-finals.”

Penn State only dropped one spot in the CFP rankings, standing at No. 6, typically ahead of Notre Dame and Ohio State. That spot gives them one of the easiest paths in the bracket. Their first meet? It will be a home game at Beaver Stadium against No. 11 seed SMU. The Mustangs, a team that just lost an ACC title to Clemson, held their place as the last at-large team in the field, keeping a three-loss Alabama at a distance.

The Nittany Lions enter the SMU game as 7.5-point favorites, and if they can win this home game, they’ll enter the CFP quarterfinals at the Fiesta Bowl against No. 10 Boise State. The Broncos have been riding at full speed since losing to Oregon in September, with Heisman hopefully having Jeanty on their side. Meanwhile, let’s compare Penn State’s playoff path to other teams.

Penn State’s easy yet tricky path to the playoffs.

Let’s look at Notre Dame for example: the Fighting Irish are also a 7.5-point home favorite entering the first-round game against Indiana. But what happens if they win this game? They’re staring down Georgia, the reigning SEC champs, and how can we forget their two-time national championship title in the last three years?

Ohio State either isn’t in the best shape. After facing Tennessee in the first round, they’d have to play against undefeated Big Ten champs, Oregon! Not only these teams but look at Texas; although they got an easy peasy game against Clemson in the first-round matchup, they might envy Penn State’s route.

So if Texas wins this game, they’re likely to face Arizona State up next. Afterward, there might be Oregon, Ohio State, or Tennessee in the semis. However, Penn State’s possible semifinal opponents can be Georgia, Notre Dame, or Indiana, and believe it or not, that is not a cakewalk. So James Franklin’s squad is not smooth sailing, as SMU’s explosive offense and tough defensive front give them that edge against Penn State. While, as far as they win this game, the semis can look a little less haunting. If these guys manage their business, they pretty much got a chance at the national championship. What do you say?