2021’s teams most likely to make first College Football Playoff appearance
By John Scimeca
4. Penn State
The Nittany Lions had an odd setback on the football field in 2020, notoriously beginning the shortened season with an unfathomable 0-5 stretch before rallying to win their final four games of the season. It was the first losing record for a Penn State football team since 2004.
Odds are, the hiccups that occurred in October and November of last year will not be repeated for Penn State. Quarterback Sean Clifford returns for his third season as the starter under center and will look to continue his dual-threat abilities. He had a shaky start to the year in 2020.
Penn State has several opportunities to burnish its postseason resume for the CFP Committee early in the 2021 season: they open the season with a road trip to Madison, Wisc. to face the Badgers and they get Auburn at home in Week 3. They can survive a loss to Ohio State, who would presumably go on to play in the Big Ten championship game.
An undefeated Ohio State squad and a one-loss Penn State squad can both fit in the CFP, as it’s been shown before that two teams from the same conference can qualify in the same year. The program is capable of restoring its swagger from an 11-2 record and Top-10 finish in 2019, and a CFP bid could result if things fall its way.