Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530530
2 2 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ////////// P L A Y O F F P R E V I E W /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "I've literally got them on the TV right now," he said while talking to reporters. "I'm starting to get to know them on a much deeper level, understanding what makes them tick, how they operate, what they've done this year to allow them to be successful." In the 11-2 Mustangs, whose only other loss was to BYU in September, Franklin said he expects to see an opponent with speed that can get the ball into space, adding that the Nittany Lions would be hoping for the full Happy Valley winter weather effect to slow down their guests. The Lions also saw a glimpse of the path beyond the first round if they prevail in their opener. The PSU-SMU winner will head to Glendale, Ariz., to take on No. 3 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. Some observers contended that the Lions' road to the semifinal round was perhaps less arduous than the one that Big Ten champion Oregon will have to travel. The Ducks earned a first-round bye with their win over Penn State, but they'll face either ninth-seeded Tennes- see or eighth-seeded Ohio State in the quarterfinal round. Oregon barely out- lasted the Buckeyes in Eugene earlier this year, winning 32-31 on Oct. 12. Meanwhile, Penn State will take on an SMU team that had been in the American Athletic Conference last year, and poten- tially a Boise State squad that finished as the top Group of Five winner out of the Mountain West. In the eyes of some, that draw made the Nittany Lions immediate winners of the CFP seeding lottery. FOX analyst Joel Klatt tweeted that the selection commit- tee had done "a horrendous job." "The team that was penalized the most was [Oregon], and the team that was re- warded the most was [Penn State]," Klatt wrote. "I guess the Ducks should have laid down in the 4th [quarter]. Just atro- cious." The current formula scrambles the seeds by giving byes to four winners of conference championship games rather than to the four highest-seeded teams. It's been roundly criticized by commen- tators, coaches and fans. Asked to share his opinion of how the CFP could be better organized, Franklin took a broader view of the disparities in the sport. "I think the whole model needs to be looked at," he said. "The College Foot- ball Playoff is trying to make decisions, and not everything is equal. Everybody should be playing the same number of conference games, everybody should be in a conference, and everybody should be playing a conference championship game, or not playing a conference championship game. I think that would really help. That would be a good starting point." The metrics don't necessarily align with the view that Penn State received the tournament's smoothest path to the later rounds. Texas, which lost to Georgia for the second time this season in the SEC Championship Game, will face a Clem- son team that squeaked in by a razor thin margin after losing regular-season games to Georgia, Louisville and South Carolina. And if the Longhorns beat the visiting Tigers on Dec. 21, they'll take on Arizona State in the quarterfinal round. In a sport that defies tidy storylines at every turn, the reality for all 12 playoff qualifiers is that nothing can be taken for granted. Seventh-seeded Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois. Fourth-seeded Nittany Lions' Playoff Opener Will Be A White Out Penn State will have a second White Out in 2024. The Nittany Lions are asking fans to come to Beaver Stadium clad in white from head to toe for their first-round College Football Playoff matchup with No. 11 seed SMU. Penn State played its scheduled White Out game on Nov. 9 when it defeated Washington, 35-6, in front of a sold-out crowd. The Lions are expected to have a full house for their playoff game, as well. It will be the final game at Beaver Stadium before the university's $700 million renovation project gets underway. That project won't be completed until 2027. Coach James Franklin said on Dec. 8 he didn't learn that a White Out had been called until he saw a notification on social media shortly before meeting with reporters to discuss Penn State's matchup with SMU. "There weren't a whole lot of conversations," he said. "I mentioned it as a possibility. We didn't have any follow-up conversations. We were focused on finishing the season the right way." — Greg Pickel Penn State played its regular-season White Out on Nov. 9 when it welcomed Washington to Beaver Stadium. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS