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College Football Playoff expanding: What it means for Penn State ...

frank bodani, york daily record
·4 min read
13

Penn State would be getting ready for one more football game in Beaver Stadium in a couple of weeks.

One of the biggest home games ever, in a sense.

What would you think of the playoff-bound Nittany Lions playing Clemson a week before Christmas?

That's what the Lions, No. 8 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings, would be looking at if the newly-announced expanded college football playoff system were in effect now. Instead, the 12-team playoff will start in 2024.

Can James Franklin and freshman quarterback Drew Allar finally take Penn State to the playoffs? It certainly will get easier for the team that's been just on the outside-looking-in for the past several years.
Can James Franklin and freshman quarterback Drew Allar finally take Penn State to the playoffs? It certainly will get easier for the team that's been just on the outside-looking-in for the past several years.

Under the new system, the field will be composed of the six conference champions and the six highest-ranked non-conference champions. The top four seeds would have an open date and not play until the quarterfinals.

The first reconfigured national championship games will be held on Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta, and Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami.

Here's how the new system may affect Penn State most:

Penn State, Beaver Stadium in December?

Penn State takes the field for an NCAA college football game against Minnesota amidst a "Whiteout" crowd at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
Penn State takes the field for an NCAA college football game against Minnesota amidst a "Whiteout" crowd at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

The first round of the new 12-team system in 2024 will launch in late December − at "the home field of the higher-seeded team or at another site designated by the higher-seeded institution."

That means Beaver Stadium could easily get an extra, ever-important date.

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While home field advantage is a significant factor in college football, it means more at Penn State. Beaver Stadium is the second-largest stadium (106,572) in the country. It also may be the loudest and toughest for opponents to manage, particularly during a late-day "White Out."

Plus, Penn State's players should be used to playing in potential cold, inclimate weather after a November navigating the Big Ten. No so much for potential opponents from the South and Southwest.

Take this year: The Lions would be lined up against No. 9 seed Clemson in Beaver Stadium. The winner could take on an idle Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

The only question: What kind of impact would the nation's largest, most vocal student section still have on a game in late December, if hardly anyone is still on campus for holiday break?

Penn State a regular playoff participant

No Power Five program may be helped out more by a playoff expansion, at least when considering recent history.

Though the Lions have never qualified for the four-team playoff since its inception in 2014, they would have made a 12-team field five times now: in each season from 2016-19 and again this year.

Penn State has featured very good teams since James Franklin took over but never an "elite" 11-1 or undefeated regular season to make the final four. Of course, the Lions also have worked in arguably the toughest division in college football, the Big Ten East.

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The Lions also were a promising Top 10 team in 2020 before COVID delayed and shortened the season and the Lions never had the services of All-America hopefuls Micah Parsons and Journey Brown.

Translation: They've been good enough to regularly qualify for a 12-team playoff field and should continue to perform as such. The Lions expect to be a Top 10 preaseason team, once again, in 2023.

Penn State recruiting boost expected

Being a regular playoff participant could put the Lions over-the-top in recruiting some key players, near and far. Someone like 2023 Class Florida receiver Edwin Joseph, who Franklin is pushing for late in this cycle.
Being a regular playoff participant could put the Lions over-the-top in recruiting some key players, near and far. Someone like 2023 Class Florida receiver Edwin Joseph, who Franklin is pushing for late in this cycle.

The Nittany Lions already are regularly bringing in consensus top 15 recruiting classes under Franklin.

But the allure of being a regular playoff participant should mean even more and even help lock up some recruiting battles. It's about perceived reptuation and standing and what that program can potentially do for recruits' futures.

They want to perform and develop on the highest stage possible.

This important calling card could be of particular importance in Penn State's already ever-important DMV region − the area that runs from Delaware, through Maryland and into Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

Penn State already owns a strong hold in one of the nation's most fruitful recruiting areas, particularly in terms of longstanding relationships with schools and coaches and alums. Playoff participation certainly could be a tipping-point attraction to some, such as elite difference-makers the team has often fell short of landing − 5-star quarterbacks and offensive and defensive linemen.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on Twitter @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: College Football Playoffs: Penn State, James Franklin, Rose Bowl