PSU

Rudel: Loss might help Penn State avoid the Big Ten championship

PSU point/counterpoint: What is your silver lining from the loss to Oregon?

The 12-team College Football Playoff has changed the landscape of the sport for the better.

For too many years, potential championship contenders would see their dreams of playing for No. 1 die with a single regular-season loss.

Refreshingly, that's no longer the case -- and as disappointing as Penn State's 30-24 double-overtime loss to Oregon was -- you need to look no further back than the 2024 season for proof.

That's where you'll find the lovable Ohio State Buckeyes, last year's national champion.

OSU lost not once last year but twice, falling 32-31 at Oregon and then laying an egg in a 13-10 home loss to Michigan.

And yet -- largely because they beat PSU (of course) -- the Bucks still were granted a spot in the CFP field, sliding in as a No. 8 seed.

As significantly, the two regular-season losses kept Ohio State out of the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis, which hosted Oregon and the Nittany Lions.

Don't think for a second Ryan Day & Co. minded watching the Ducks and Nits bang away and wear each other down at Lucas Oil Stadium on the first weekend of December.

Yes, Oregon can be proud of winning the conference, but clearly the CFP is a bigger deal so why exert excess energy unless you must?

And this year, depending on how it all shakes out, Penn State could benefit from the extra rest.

Of course, that's contingent on the Nittany Lions being good enough to qualify for the CFP field.

To do that, because of their embarrassing non-conference schedule that James Franklin and Pat Kraft jammed down our throats, they might not be able to lose more than one more game -- especially if they don't win in Columbus on Nov. 1.

Had the Nits' alarm not gone off late and they won the White Out game with Oregon, they'd have more margin for error.

Perhaps they'd be able to weather an upset along the way, either at Iowa or against a rising Indiana team that is threatening to crack the Big Ten's top tier.

The loss can help refocus the Lions, as Cory suggests, but it can also build confidence in other opponents and provide ideas on how to attack the Nits.

So all this is based on Penn State regrouping and finishing 11-1 or, at worst, 10-2.

While that wouldn't get the Nittany Nation any more excited about James Franklin or Drew Allar, it could help the Lions be fully rested before the CFP playoffs.

Franklin said Monday he's already had Jim Knowles, who was Ohio State's defensive coordinator last year, address the Lions on how this season is not lost.

"I think that's been valuable," Franklin said. "Obviously, he's got good perspective on these things and a ton of information from that situation."

In beating Penn State, Oregon practically already punched its ticket to the Big Ten title game since it -- somehow --plays neither Ohio State nor Michigan.

There's still plenty to sort out, but if the Lions can beat Ohio State and the Buckeyes lose to Michigan, the Wolverines and Ducks could well land in the Big Ten final.

Which would be just fine and better position the Nits for the CFP.

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com