In the relatively short history of the College Football Playoff, just three teams from the Big Ten have made an appearance in the final four of college football’s top level. Penn State is hoping to become the fourth Big Ten school to play in the College Football Playoff this season, but the Nittany Lions face quite a challenging path to get there in 2023.
College Sports Wire ranked the top five schools with the most challenging path to an appearance in the College Football Playoff. Penn State fell inside the top five, and it is pretty easy to see why.
Merely playing in the same division as Michigan and Ohio State, two perennial Big Ten contenders who each made an appearance in the College Football Playoff last year, essentially automatically puts Penn State in top five consideration. No other team in the top five ranking plays in the same division as two different playoff teams from last season, and Penn State is the only school in the top five ranking that faces multiple playoff teams from last season.
Penn State lost both meetings with the Wolverines and Buckeyes a season ago which was more than enough to knock Penn State out of the running for a playoff spot. But with Michigan and Ohio State each playing in the playoff, Penn State seized the opportunity to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl despite being the third-place team in the Big Ten East.
If Penn State can manage to split their results with Michigan and Ohio State, that would likely provide a sizable bump to the playoff possibilities for the program. Going 2-0 would obviously be a difference-maker and put Penn State in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot as long as it avoids tripping up elsewhere on the schedule.
Outside of the big two games on the schedule, other matchups that could be potential problems include the primetime season opener at home against West Virginia, a road game at Illinois, and a home game against Iowa. Ending the year at Michigan State could also provide some trouble.
See the full ranking and breakdown of the top five most challenging roads to the College Football Playoff from College Sports Wire.
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