2. Penn State Nittany Lions (56 wins)
James Franklin has been amazing.
Of course there’s a segment of the Penn State that always wants more, but it has to keep being said over and over again. This was a program that could’ve and probable should’ve been bulldozed over after one of the nastiest scandals in the history of American sports, and Franklin took it over when it was still dealing with a bowl ban and other NCAA sanctions.
With three 11-win seasons in the last four years and three New Year’s Six appearances, Penn State has been right on the doorstep of doing something truly fabulous.
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It had a reasonable College Football Playoff case in 2016 when it went 11-2 with a Big Ten Championship, and it came a late drive away from having a shot last season. Had it been able to score late against Minnesota, and had it finished 11-1 with only a hard-fought loss at Ohio State – it might have earned the fourth spot.
How good has Penn State been? It has lost 17 games over the last five years. Only one – a 21-17 loss to Michigan State in 2018 – didn’t come against a team that finished with at least ten wins.
There’s still a loaded Ohio State program to deal with, along with Michigan and Michigan State from the Big Ten East, but there’s no scoffing at consistent 11-win campaigns.