My OSU friend says Penn State makes the playoff...

[okinburg1]

Work colleague/friend, know him for 10+ yrs, great guy (despite the OSU background).

He honestly and somewhat sheepishly admitted that PSU should have won the game Saturday night and, by the "eye-test" was every bit the equal of Ohio St. He pointed to several plays (Miles NOT fumbling, Young NOT batting down that 4th and 1 ball, Hip making the catch that would have been a 1st down w/about 4 mins left, etc) that, had they gone PSU's way, would almost certainly have meant victory for the Lions.

He also expects PSU to make the playoff. All it will take is 1) PSU winning out, which is not a stretch by any means and 2) some teams ranked ahead of us losing. Looking at the teams ranked ahead of PSU right now, I think he's right. As Inigo Montoya would say, let me splane:

Very good bet that Bama/Georgia/LSU/Auburn cannibalize themselves, with only Bama undefeated at seasons end-they're in. OSU is not losing again-they're in. Clemson needs to lose and I think they will; they certainly didn't look that great against Syracuse (forgot the QB situation, their D was nothing special). ND needs to lose but that probably won't happen, they're in. OU needs to lose and there is a good chance that happens as they barely beat Army and still need to play Texas/TCU/OK St/WVU. WVU will lose a game somewhere along the line. PSU winning out means they jump Washington given the fact that PSU, if they win out, will have several wins against ranked teams and far and away the best loss in the country.

So, the playoff teams are - Bama, OSU, ND and Penn State - mark it down, its happening.

 

[MtNittany]

That's great but unless his name is Gene Smith....

 

[PSU87]

Work colleague/friend, know him for 10+ yrs, great guy (despite the OSU background).

He honestly and somewhat sheepishly admitted that PSU should have won the game Saturday night and, by the "eye-test" was every bit the equal of Ohio St. He pointed to several plays (Miles NOT fumbling, Young NOT batting down that 4th and 1 ball, Hip making the catch that would have been a 1st down w/about 4 mins left, etc) that, had they gone PSU's way, would almost certainly have meant victory for the Lions.

He also expects PSU to make the playoff. All it will take is 1) PSU winning out, which is not a stretch by any means and 2) some teams ranked ahead of us losing. Looking at the teams ranked ahead of PSU right now, I think he's right. As Inigo Montoya would say, let me splane:

Very good bet that Bama/Georgia/LSU/Auburn cannibalize themselves, with only Bama undefeated at seasons end-they're in. OSU is not losing again-they're in. Clemson needs to lose and I think they will; they certainly didn't look that great against Syracuse (forgot the QB situation, their D was nothing special). ND needs to lose but that probably won't happen, they're in. OU needs to lose and there is a good chance that happens as they barely beat Army and still need to play Texas/TCU/OK St/WVU. WVU will lose a game somewhere along the line. PSU winning out means they jump Washington given the fact that PSU, if they win out, will have several wins against ranked teams and far and away the best loss in the country.

So, the playoff teams are - Bama, OSU, ND and Penn State - mark it down, its happening.

Last year the Big Ten showed itself to be the best conference and we got how many teams in the playoffs?
This year the conference's OOC performance has been wanting.
There is no way two Big Ten teams get in unless every SEC team has 2 losses.

 

[Grant Green]

Root for college football chaos. It's happened plenty of times before and it will happen again. If PSU can go 11-1 with a narrow loss vs OSU early in the season, we would certainly have a good argument.

The "eye test" argument against us is not going to work anymore.

 

[PSUoh90]

Would love to see this team win out, but I think many are underestimating how difficult this will be to do. After last week's loss, I'm predicting 9-3.

 

[MoyerJones]

It's possible that after this Saturday, people will be saying that Stanford is overrated, Michigan is a better team in October than it was when it lost on the road at ND, and that is why ND lost to VTech.

 

[AWS1022]

Would love to see this team win out, but I think many are underestimating how difficult this will be to do. After last week's loss, I'm predicting 9-3.

If they play like they did last week, no one on their schedule can beat them. But who knows if they can play like that every week (chances are slim). However, with Trace we always have a better than average chance to win.

 

[jmorovich]

If ND is in the playoffs there’s no way the committee puts in 2 from one conference leaving 3 others out.

Best way for PSU to sniff the playoffs is with ND to lose 1 (preferably 2) games and be eliminated. Them not being in a conference really eff’s everything up come selection time for the other noncoference winners (as well as some of the weaker conference winners).

 

[danvillenit]

Hard to gauge how much the white out environment helped. Based on the entire season I tend to believe the defense was helped quite a bit. It will be hard for that defense to replicate on the road at Michigan. The wild card is how much the young guys improve going forward.

 

[PSUoh90]

However, with Trace we always have a better than average chance to win.

This I absolutely agree with.

The problem is that there's a different energy you play with at home against Ohio State than the likes of MSU.

IMO, the way we respond next week will be a big litmus test indicative of where the season is going to head.

As a gambler, I would typically back at team like MSU next week because there's value in perception based on last week. I see a lot of PSU fans saying things like "This team is going to come back stronger than ever". While I certainly hope that's true, I don't think that's the way sports work, especially when looking at 19-year-old kids.

 

[mcgunns]

PSU won't go undefeated. B1G doesn't deserve two slots even if they do. I do think they will be the better team in every game, but not by a whole lot against mich, wisc. Wisconsin also feels built to beat us to me with their massive OL potentially abusing the undersized fast defense of PSU. Undefeated here on out is a very tall order.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

PSU won't go undefeated. B1G doesn't deserve two slots even if they do. I do think they will be the better team in every game, but not by a whole lot against mich, wisc. Wisconsin also feels built to beat us to me with their massive OL potentially abusing the undersized fast defense of PSU. Undefeated here on out is a very tall order.

Favorable home schedule helps a ton. Michigan is the game I'm worried about, but still think we win.

 

[ga.lion]

Work colleague/friend, know him for 10+ yrs, great guy (despite the OSU background).

He honestly and somewhat sheepishly admitted that PSU should have won the game Saturday night and, by the "eye-test" was every bit the equal of Ohio St. He pointed to several plays (Miles NOT fumbling, Young NOT batting down that 4th and 1 ball, Hip making the catch that would have been a 1st down w/about 4 mins left, etc) that, had they gone PSU's way, would almost certainly have meant victory for the Lions.

He also expects PSU to make the playoff. All it will take is 1) PSU winning out, which is not a stretch by any means and 2) some teams ranked ahead of us losing. Looking at the teams ranked ahead of PSU right now, I think he's right. As Inigo Montoya would say, let me splane:

Very good bet that Bama/Georgia/LSU/Auburn cannibalize themselves, with only Bama undefeated at seasons end-they're in. OSU is not losing again-they're in. Clemson needs to lose and I think they will; they certainly didn't look that great against Syracuse (forgot the QB situation, their D was nothing special). ND needs to lose but that probably won't happen, they're in. OU needs to lose and there is a good chance that happens as they barely beat Army and still need to play Texas/TCU/OK St/WVU. WVU will lose a game somewhere along the line. PSU winning out means they jump Washington given the fact that PSU, if they win out, will have several wins against ranked teams and far and away the best loss in the country.

So, the playoff teams are - Bama, OSU, ND and Penn State - mark it down, its happening.

The SEC is sure they are getting 2 and think 3 might belong. Will take some very impressive wins...

 

[AWS1022]

The SEC is sure they are getting 2 and think 3 might belong. Will take some very impressive wins...

The only way the SEC gets two in is if GA only loses to Bama by a slim margin and that’s not happening...Bama will blow everyone out.

 

[rohrmd9]

Penn State #7 on this list. Sorry, I'm not copying and pasting all the content...just suck it up and go to the ESPN link...

http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...ollege-football-playoff-national-championship

 

[dbsteel]

Would love to see this team win out, but I think many are underestimating how difficult this will be to do. After last week's loss, I'm predicting 9-3.

I've always though this is a 9-3, 8-4 type team myself. I don't see them running it. Not enough defense.

 

[NitneLiun]

Michigan on the road. Wisconsin at home. Winning out is a tall order.

 

[fastlax16]

Work colleague/friend, know him for 10+ yrs, great guy (despite the OSU background).

He honestly and somewhat sheepishly admitted that PSU should have won the game Saturday night and, by the "eye-test" was every bit the equal of Ohio St. He pointed to several plays (Miles NOT fumbling, Young NOT batting down that 4th and 1 ball, Hip making the catch that would have been a 1st down w/about 4 mins left, etc) that, had they gone PSU's way, would almost certainly have meant victory for the Lions.

He also expects PSU to make the playoff. All it will take is 1) PSU winning out, which is not a stretch by any means and 2) some teams ranked ahead of us losing. Looking at the teams ranked ahead of PSU right now, I think he's right. As Inigo Montoya would say, let me splane:

Very good bet that Bama/Georgia/LSU/Auburn cannibalize themselves, with only Bama undefeated at seasons end-they're in. OSU is not losing again-they're in. Clemson needs to lose and I think they will; they certainly didn't look that great against Syracuse (forgot the QB situation, their D was nothing special). ND needs to lose but that probably won't happen, they're in. OU needs to lose and there is a good chance that happens as they barely beat Army and still need to play Texas/TCU/OK St/WVU. WVU will lose a game somewhere along the line. PSU winning out means they jump Washington given the fact that PSU, if they win out, will have several wins against ranked teams and far and away the best loss in the country.

So, the playoff teams are - Bama, OSU, ND and Penn State - mark it down, its happening.

The Georgia LSU winner will have strong claim the best loss in the country when they lose to bama. LSU beating Georgia but losing to Bama and bama beating georgia in the sec pretty much guarantees two sec teams if it plays out.

 

[MacNit07]

Work colleague/friend, know him for 10+ yrs, great guy (despite the OSU background).

He honestly and somewhat sheepishly admitted that PSU should have won the game Saturday night and, by the "eye-test" was every bit the equal of Ohio St. He pointed to several plays (Miles NOT fumbling, Young NOT batting down that 4th and 1 ball, Hip making the catch that would have been a 1st down w/about 4 mins left, etc) that, had they gone PSU's way, would almost certainly have meant victory for the Lions.

He also expects PSU to make the playoff. All it will take is 1) PSU winning out, which is not a stretch by any means and 2) some teams ranked ahead of us losing. Looking at the teams ranked ahead of PSU right now, I think he's right. As Inigo Montoya would say, let me splane:

Very good bet that Bama/Georgia/LSU/Auburn cannibalize themselves, with only Bama undefeated at seasons end-they're in. OSU is not losing again-they're in. Clemson needs to lose and I think they will; they certainly didn't look that great against Syracuse (forgot the QB situation, their D was nothing special). ND needs to lose but that probably won't happen, they're in. OU needs to lose and there is a good chance that happens as they barely beat Army and still need to play Texas/TCU/OK St/WVU. WVU will lose a game somewhere along the line. PSU winning out means they jump Washington given the fact that PSU, if they win out, will have several wins against ranked teams and far and away the best loss in the country.

So, the playoff teams are - Bama, OSU, ND and Penn State - mark it down, its happening.

This is so very much way ahead of ourselves. PSU has nearly lost 2/3 home games and is not playing anywhere near the level of Defense to be considered playoff caliber. We will lose at least two more games. The talent is there, but not quite at the maturity level needed to compete on the big stage. Patience - that day is coming soon and the way Franklin is recruiting, that time at the top will be extended.

 

[Safety Blitz]

Not going to happen unless PSU makes it into — and wins — the BiG championship game.
And the chances of that happening are slim to none.
ND will prevent any conference from getting two berths. SEC winner is a lock. BiG could get left out completely if it doesn’t have an undefeated team. A one-loss BiG champ will need at least two among Clemson, OU and UW to lose at least once before it even enters the conversation.
I sure hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see it happening this season.

 

[fastlax16]

Not going to happen unless PSU makes it into — and wins — the BiG championship game.
And the chances of that happening are slim to none.
ND will prevent any conference from getting two berths. SEC winner is a lock. BiG could get left out completely if it doesn’t have an undefeated team. A one-loss BiG champ will need at least two among Clemson, OU and UW to lose at least once before it even enters the conversation.
I sure hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see it happening this season.

Uw isn’t getting in over a one loss big ten champ

 

[Cosmos]

This I absolutely agree with.

The problem is that there's a different energy you play with at home against Ohio State than the likes of MSU.

IMO, the way we respond next week will be a big litmus test indicative of where the season is going to head.

As a gambler, I would typically back at team like MSU next week because there's value in perception based on last week. I see a lot of PSU fans saying things like "This team is going to come back stronger than ever". While I certainly hope that's true, I don't think that's the way sports work, especially when looking at 19-year-old kids.

No point in arguing against how you feel. How I feel. Before the season I had 9-3. After the first four games I had 9-3. After OSU game I now have 11-1. We basically dominated the No. 4 team in the country, save for a few bone-headed plays. Dominated with smoke and mirrors but nonetheless, dominated. There is not another team in the B1G that's even close to OSU. And we've got two of the three remaining conference "contenders" at home. I use that term loosely because Sat. night confirmed the two best teams in the B1G just played each other. And you know what. Pollsters seem to agree. We only dropped two slots in the rankings. I will be surprised if MSU can hang with us and of the remaining contenders they matchup the best. But to your point our next game will tell us a lot. 11-1 or 10-2 at worst. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And I'm not worried abut Michigan.

 

[lein]

The SEC is sure they are getting 2 and think 3 might belong. Will take some very impressive wins...

There will come a time when politics comes to play. Like why does the SEC keep getting 2 in while the Big and Pac are shutout. If they got 3 in it would start a movement to 8 teams.

 

[psugisher]

It's early October.. we're just getting into the meat of the season. Lots of things are going to happen that'll change the landscape of who's in or out of the playoff. Just two years ago we were 3-2 at this point and were in strong consideration for the playoff by the end of the season. That was with a 49-10 loss. Win out and we'll be one of the last two in or first two out but we'll be strongly considered. Lots of teams to root against now but that list will shrink each week.

 

[MacNit07]

It's early October.. we're just getting into the meat of the season. Lots of things are going to happen that'll change the landscape of who's in or out of the playoff. Just two years ago we were 3-2 at this point and were in strong consideration for the playoff by the end of the season. That was with a 49-10 loss. Win out and we'll be one of the last two in or first two out but we'll be strongly considered. Lots of teams to root against now but that list will shrink each week.

Maybe monkeys could fly too?

 

[schoolie]

PSU won't go undefeated. B1G doesn't deserve two slots even if they do. I do think they will be the better team in every game, but not by a whole lot against mich, wisc. Wisconsin also feels built to beat us to me with their massive OL potentially abusing the undersized fast defense of PSU. Undefeated here on out is a very tall order.

I watched Wisconsin's massive OL become very normal against Brigham Young.

 

[psugisher]

Maybe monkeys could fly too?

Thanks for your insight

 

[PennState_one]

If ND is in the playoffs there’s no way the committee puts in 2 from one conference leaving 3 others out.

Best way for PSU to sniff the playoffs is with ND to lose 1 (preferably 2) games and be eliminated. Them not being in a conference really eff’s everything up come selection time for the other noncoference winners (as well as some of the weaker conference winners).

I still think it's wrong that a team like Notre Dame can get in without a championship game... But I guess it's the same idea as OSU getting in a couple of years ago without playing in the championship game...

Either way, I still feel like every team left on PSU's schedule should be very afraid. No joke, I think they are going to pose that will and keep the foot on the throat. Be prepared for Franklin to take alot of heat for running up scores...

 

[YorkLion]

Can't wait to see how we play against the rest of the B1G. The first 4 games were a farce and we did play OSU close so only time will tell. At some point, the powers that be must find better OOC competition.

 

[fastlax16]

Can't wait to see how we play against the rest of the B1G. The first 4 games were a farce and we did play OSU close so only time will tell. At some point, the powers that be must find better OOC competition.

Future schedules are set and pitt is replaced by vt and auburn. If you want next season to be better you can have joe maddon give pat narduzzi and his panthers a pep talk on not sucking.

 

[fastlax16]

Maybe monkeys could fly too?

PA state police could probably make one fly after what I witnessed this weekend. If they can make a grill fly with their helicopter no reason it wouldn’t work on a monkey.

 

[fairgambit]

Work colleague/friend, know him for 10+ yrs, great guy (despite the OSU background).

He honestly and somewhat sheepishly admitted that PSU should have won the game Saturday night and, by the "eye-test" was every bit the equal of Ohio St. He pointed to several plays (Miles NOT fumbling, Young NOT batting down that 4th and 1 ball, Hip making the catch that would have been a 1st down w/about 4 mins left, etc) that, had they gone PSU's way, would almost certainly have meant victory for the Lions.

He also expects PSU to make the playoff. All it will take is 1) PSU winning out, which is not a stretch by any means and 2) some teams ranked ahead of us losing. Looking at the teams ranked ahead of PSU right now, I think he's right. As Inigo Montoya would say, let me splane:

Very good bet that Bama/Georgia/LSU/Auburn cannibalize themselves, with only Bama undefeated at seasons end-they're in. OSU is not losing again-they're in. Clemson needs to lose and I think they will; they certainly didn't look that great against Syracuse (forgot the QB situation, their D was nothing special). ND needs to lose but that probably won't happen, they're in. OU needs to lose and there is a good chance that happens as they barely beat Army and still need to play Texas/TCU/OK St/WVU. WVU will lose a game somewhere along the line. PSU winning out means they jump Washington given the fact that PSU, if they win out, will have several wins against ranked teams and far and away the best loss in the country.

So, the playoff teams are - Bama, OSU, ND and Penn State - mark it down, its happening.

If OSU is in, we are not.

 

[NewPSUfan]

Maybe monkeys could fly too?

So are you able to?

 

[PSU87]

If OSU is in, we are not.

^^^This^^^
Unless every sec team not named Bama has 2 losses

 

[captainshakes]

If Penn State wins out they have a decent chance at making it but will need these 2 things to happen.

Notre Dame absolutely needs to lose, preferably a bad loss.

Either UGA or Alabama needs to lose a game BEFORE the Sec title game.

If both of those things happen and Penn State goes 11-1 (and misses the B1G Title game) I think they'll be in the playoffs for sure. In reality though these scenarios don't matter because we'll see a ton of surprise losses the rest of the season.

 

[wolve1972]

In reality though these scenarios don't matter because we'll see a ton of surprise losses the rest of the season.

And it's surprising how many experienced CF fans forget this. Many of the big-time CF matchups occur during the last few weeks of the season. One of my upset specials start this week as the Hoosiers throw a major scare and maybe even springs the upset over the suckeyes who experience a major letdown after last Saturday's game against PSU. Doesn't matter though as Michigan wins their remaining games and rolls into the CF playoffs with a matchup against Alabama.

 

[captainshakes]

And it's surprising how many experienced CF fans forget this. Many of the big-time CF matchups occur during the last few weeks of the season. One of my upset specials start this week as the Hoosiers throw a major scare and maybe even springs the upset over the suckeyes who experience a major letdown after last Saturday's game against PSU. Doesn't matter though as Michigan wins their remaining games and rolls into the CF playoffs with a matchup against Alabama.

I despise the weakening standards of the English language and the use of "literal" is a perfect example of that standard. BUT Indiana literally has no freaking chance of beating Ohio State on Saturday. Less than 0%.

Other than that we are in agreement, us fans start talking about "win out" scenarios for multiple teams in week 5 and the truth is there will probably be 1 or 0 teams undefeated when the final playoff ranking comes out.

 

[okinburg1]

Work colleague/friend, know him for 10+ yrs, great guy (despite the OSU background).

He honestly and somewhat sheepishly admitted that PSU should have won the game Saturday night and, by the "eye-test" was every bit the equal of Ohio St. He pointed to several plays (Miles NOT fumbling, Young NOT batting down that 4th and 1 ball, Hip making the catch that would have been a 1st down w/about 4 mins left, etc) that, had they gone PSU's way, would almost certainly have meant victory for the Lions.

He also expects PSU to make the playoff. All it will take is 1) PSU winning out, which is not a stretch by any means and 2) some teams ranked ahead of us losing. Looking at the teams ranked ahead of PSU right now, I think he's right. As Inigo Montoya would say, let me splane:

Very good bet that Bama/Georgia/LSU/Auburn cannibalize themselves, with only Bama undefeated at seasons end-they're in. OSU is not losing again-they're in. Clemson needs to lose and I think they will; they certainly didn't look that great against Syracuse (forgot the QB situation, their D was nothing special). ND needs to lose but that probably won't happen, they're in. OU needs to lose and there is a good chance that happens as they barely beat Army and still need to play Texas/TCU/OK St/WVU. WVU will lose a game somewhere along the line. PSU winning out means they jump Washington given the fact that PSU, if they win out, will have several wins against ranked teams and far and away the best loss in the country.

So, the playoff teams are - Bama, OSU, ND and Penn State - mark it down, its happening.

1st step complete - OU loses to Texas.

 

[81b&w]

And it's surprising how many experienced CF fans forget this. Many of the big-time CF matchups occur during the last few weeks of the season. One of my upset specials start this week as the Hoosiers throw a major scare and maybe even springs the upset over the suckeyes who experience a major letdown after last Saturday's game against PSU. Doesn't matter though as Michigan sucks

fixed it

 

[maxxedout]

Michigan on the road. Wisconsin at home. Winning out is a tall order.

Which is why we are in the CFP if we win out. Tall order but the rewards are there for the taking.