Penn State is no longer undefeated, and not nearly as likely to make the College Football Playoff per ESPN’s Football Power Index.
FPI has Penn State with a 9.1 percent chance to make the CFP. That’s down from 38.5 percent before the Wisconsin game.
That’s behind Big Ten foes USC (9.8 percent), UCLA (13 percent), Iowa (22.2 percent), Nebraska (25.2 percent), Oregon (41.1 percent), Ohio State (68.2 percent) and Indiana (68.8 percent).
It’s also behind Manny Diaz’s Duke Blue Devils (15.3 percent) and Pitt (22.5 percent). None of this should come as a surprise. Penn State looked like far from a playoff team Saturday, and even if it starts playing like one, the schedule won’t do it any favors. With Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon all missing, Penn State was already lacking in opportunities for a signature win.
Along with PSU losing, the three best teams on its scheduled: Michigan, USC and Washington, all lost at home.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.So it seems that Penn State would have to run the table to have a chance, and although it’s hard to imagine an 11-1 Big Ten team not making the playoff, PSU would put that theory to the test unless its biggest opponents also turn it around.
But all PSU can do is worry about Northwestern.
The Wildcats, which beat Coach Prime by 34 and then only lost at No. 5 Indiana by six Friday night, ended James Franklin’s PSU career last season.
They have the chance to make life a lot harder for Franklin’s successor, Matt Campbell, Friday night in Evanston. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 pm Fox.
