Georgia has won two straight national championships, and Penn State hasn’t won one since 1986.
This year’s Georgia team seems to have a solid chance of winning a third straight title, as its No. 1 ranking indicates.
But one playoff predictor sees Penn State’s odds of making it to the College Football Playoff as greater than mighty Georgia.
ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor has Penn State with a 33% chance of making it, which is 3% better than Georgia. There are still four teams with a higher playoff probability than Penn State, with Big Ten foe Ohio State topping the list at 54%. Behind Ohio State are Oklahoma (53%), Texas (50%) and Oregon (40%).
Penn State’s aligns with its ranking in the polls. PSU is No. 6 in both the AP and Coaches polls. Ohio State’s gap is a little larger, with it being No. 4 in the AP and No. 3 in the Coaches. Oklahoma having the second-highest playoff probability is perhaps most intriguing since OU is ranked No. 12 in both polls. Texas— who OU plays this coming Saturday, Oct. 7– is ranked in the four in the AP and No. 3 in the coaches, which aligns with it having the third-highest playoff odds.
Oregon is No. 8 in the AP in No. 9 in the coaches.
Despite being a team many feel is the best in the country, No. 2 Michigan has just the 10th highest odds of making the playoff at 21%.
5-0 Penn State will have seven chances to help its odds, with the two biggest ones coming Oct. 21 at Ohio State and Nov. 11 against Michigan at Beaver Stadium. Both games are scheduled to kickoff at noon on FOX.
