Would you rather PSU had beaten Oregon or landed in this bracket? Yes, it would have shifted narrative, made Nits No. 1
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There's no question Penn State has the most favorable draw in the College Football Playoff field.
The Nittany Lions are heavily favored -- by 8.5 points -- to beat SMU in the first round at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. Penn State should benefit from the cold weather that is foreign to the Mustangs.
Should PSU hold serve and advance to the national quarterfinals, their reward is even better -- a Boise State team that somehow gained the No. 3 seed in the entire field.
Penn State is already a two-touchdown favorite in that game should the matchup materialize.
But I still will take the side that it would be better for the Lions to have beaten Oregon in the Big Ten championship game.
For one thing, save his Ohio State record, it would have wiped away the ongoing narrative that James Franklin can't win the big game.
The Ducks were ranked No. 1, and after the loss by No. 2 Texas to Georgia in the SEC title game, a Penn State victory would have elevated the Lions to No. 1 for the first time since 1997.
That brings publicity and recruiting cache that even Ohio State's NIL money can't buy.
More importantly, it would have allowed Penn State needed rest to fully recharge for the playoffs.
Had they beaten Oregon, the Lions wouldn't play again until Jan. 1. Instead, they'll play two games in a 10-day stretch -- Saturday vs. SMU and, if they win, Dec. 31 against Boise in the Fiesta Bowl.
That will be games 14 and 15 on the season -- with potentially two more after that, should the Lions be so fortunate.
This has been my reservation about the CFP since its inception: How much is realistic for college athletes? Never mind that they're now being paid.
Penn State has lost several key players to season-ending injuries -- safety K.J. Winston, tackle Anthony Donkoh, Alonzo Ford -- while others, including Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Dani Dennis-Sutton and even Drew Allar have missed time or played through bumps.
Adding another game to the mix further exposes the Lions' roster, which is already thin at the most important position.
Since the ridiculous transfer portal overlaps the CFP calendar as the NCAA flies blind, PSU backup quarterback Beau Pribula left the team in search of another opportunity.
The NCAA timetable forced his hand, and that's another reason the Lions would be better off not playing two games in 10 days.
Had the Lions beaten Oregon, they'd get the winner of Ohio State vs. Tennessee. The Lions were stewing over coughing up their 20-13 loss to the Buckeyes and wanted to see them again.
They'd be better off just getting on with that -- presuming the Buckeyes put away the Vols.
As it is, if Penn State wins two games, it will get the winner of Georgia vs. the Notre Dame-Indiana winner in the Orange Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 9.
(Keep in mind Georgia's starting quarterback, Carson Beck, was injured in the SEC final, and his status is questionable so that's another potential break for Penn State if it gets that far.)
There's no such thing as backing into a national championship game, and eventually Penn State will have to beat one of its peers -- not SMU or Boise State -- to get there.
The Nittany Lions need to be as healthy as possible.
And every extra game they play puts that proposition at risk.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.