Does Penn State belong in the College Playoff?

The loser knows that it has been formally – if not officially – eliminated. Many wrote the Nittany Lions off for dead after they were riddled with sanctions, but, in the first year of playing with a full allotment of scholarships, head coach James Franklin has his team right where he wants them and in a spot where Big Ten powers MI and Ohio State aren’t: Indianapolis. Nevertheless, the Badgers and Nittany Lions, both coming off of spectacular seasons, are looking forward to playing for not only a Big Ten title but a possibility of making the playoffs.

The Wolverines, No. 5 in the latest CFP rankings, could also go to the playoff if either Washington or Clemson loses in respective conference championship games.

“Obviously, I’m very humbled by it and proud of it”, Chryst said on the Big Ten Network’s all-conference show. I liked watching him until this week when we’re getting ready to play him. Whole new year, whole different team and whole different style. The Nittany Lions are 10-2, 8-1 in the conference, on an eight-game winning streak, and ranked seventh in the country.

The Nittany Lions went a combined 0-6 against Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State in Franklin’s first two seasons.

Ohio State had dawdled before sending kicker Tyler Durbin and the field-goal team on the field to try to extend the fourth-quarter lead.

“Instead of talking about what Penn State was, people are now talking about what Penn State is, and that’s exciting”, Franklin said Sunday afternoon.

“I never want to experience nothing like that again”, UW cornerback Derrick Tindal said.

McSorley has often described Penn State’s offense as up-tempo.

That’s it. The Nittany Lions are the better team. “It’s going to be insane, I’m really excited to rep the school”.

“I don’t think we were necessarily rooting for one team”, Franklin said after Penn State’s 45-12 win over the Spartans. “You can see it”. “Flash back to our bowl game previous year with him coming in and leading us back, even though we lost, you could see how talented he was in that game. They have a lot of weapons on their offense that we’ll have to account for”.

Wisconsin will come into the game with questions at the position, as freshman Alex Hornibrook suffered a concussion in the team’s last game against Minnesota. On the other side of the ball, Wisconsin’s defensive front might be more underrated than Penn State’s. Penn State (10-2, 8-1) is No. 8 in all three rankings.

Penn State hasn’t given up a touchdown in its past two games and ranks fourth in the conference and 20th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense, allowing an average of 346.8 yards per game.

-LB T.J. Watt has racked up 13 tackles for a loss with 9.5 sacks.

Penn State running back Saquon Barkley hasn’t been able to finish the last two games but said Monday he expects to play Saturday in the Big Ten championship against Wisconsin.

Barkley is the team’s most explosive weapon and rushed for 1,219 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Joining Barkley on the league honor roll were quarterback Trace McSorley and tight end Mike Gesicki, who earned second-team All-Big Ten selections. Oklahoma State has a better case to be a one-loss team, after officials made a critical mistake in its loss to Central Michigan.

Despite a run of injuries that hit the linebacker corps especially hard and left the Lions without seven starters, Penn State turned into one of the hottest teams in the nation.