College Football Playoff: Penn State fans react to snub
By David Rouben
Penn State’s fairytale season ultimately fell short of the Playoff, even though they did just about everything right leading up to it.
Penn State’s season was an epic tale of triumph. They went from 2-2 to Big Ten Champions, and won that game in comeback fashion. With a Conference title, and a head-to-head win over Ohio State, leaving them out would’ve been a grave mistake.
And yet the College Football Playoff did it anyway. Including Ohio State and not including the team that beat them may seem illogical, but that’s the way it went. And as you can expect, there were a lot of people who were incensed:
So apparently Ohio State and Penn State still aren't comparable in the eyes of the CFP selection committee? Conference title, head-to-head.
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) December 4, 2016
Penn State, the first casualty of a "had to settle for the Rose Bowl" world.
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) December 4, 2016
#PennState beat OSU head-to-head, had a tough non-conference sked & were champs of the toughest league in CFB this year & got left out. Ouch
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 4, 2016
As if it wasn't already, that Penn State home game against Pitt might be circled a little bit more emphatically next season.
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) December 4, 2016
CFP committee chair Kirby Hocutt said Penn State was hurt by lopsided loss to Michigan and losing to 4-loss Pitt
— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) December 4, 2016
James Franklin is MAD. #PennState #CFPReveal pic.twitter.com/QuxOgo7SJX
— Mike Gillespie (@MikeABCColumbia) December 4, 2016
The consolation prize for Penn State is pretty good: You get to play in the Rose Bowl and won't get smacked around by Alabama. Win-win.
— Patrick Brown (@pbrown247) December 4, 2016
On one hand Penn State might've deserved a final four spot. On the other hand: program should have received the death penalty.
— Travis Yost (@travisyost) December 4, 2016
Too bad Penn State didn't make the playoff. If it's making you guys feel bad, just pretend it's a horrible sex crime and ignore it.
— courtesy fave on death threat (@boring_as_heck) December 4, 2016
This would be fun:
— Chris Dokish (@ChrisDokish) December 4, 2016
1 Alabama
8 USC
2 Clemson
7 Oklahoma
3 Ohio State
6 Michigan
4 Washington
5 Penn State
Ultimately, their two losses hurt them. But Clemson lost to Pitt and they still made it. And they played Michigan with a very depleted linebacker corps. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and the Nittany Lions finished exceptional.
It’s hard to see how nine straight wins, including one over the Buckeyes, doesn’t result in a playoff berth. But if there is a silver lining, it’s that Penn State still gets to play in the Rose Bowl, and won’t have to face Alabama.
Despite the school’s troubled past, this team was incredibly fun to watch, and their underdog story made them hard not to root for. On the whole, they are a pretty young team, and should find themselves right in the mix next year. It’s not like choosing Washington over them is the crime of the century either, as they are a deserving Playoff candidate. And if there were two Big Ten teams in the Top 4, there would probably be more outrage than there already is.
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But this was simply one of those years where there wasn’t a right answer for the Playoff. Whether this field results in a change to the format, however, remains to be seen.