10 teams who could make their first College Football Playoff in 2019

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs on January 8, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David Rosenblum/IconSportswire) /

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ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions rallies his team prior to the VRBO Citrus Bowl against the Kentucky Wildcats at Camping World Stadium on January 1, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

10. Penn State

Right now, Penn State fans are freaking out because they keep losing recruits for their 2020 class, but at least 2019 is still promising. Two members of the defense were named on Phil Steele’s preseason All-American Team.

Penn State has had one of the craziest decades in college sports history, going from scandal-ridden and doomed for future recruits and bowl eligibility to beating the powerhouses of the Big Ten year in and year out and coming very, very close to the College Football Playoff in the 2016 season. The committee chose Ohio State over them despite the Nittany Lions winning the Big Ten.

This season, with Ohio State surrounded by questions, this could be the year James Franklin leads this team to the promised land. Franklin was just named the best coach in the conference by CBS Sports, a high mark when coaching alongside Jim Harbaugh.

The major issue here is going to be the man under center. The Nittany Lions lost Trace McSorley to the NFL. They thought that it would be an easy transition to Tommy Stevens. However, he unexpectedly left to go to Michigan State, and now they are left with a QB battle. Sean Clifford and Will Levis believe they are ready for the challenge, but we have to see it on the field before they become true contenders.

They don’t have a true test until they take on Iowa in the middle of October (rivalry with Pitt aside). Their schedule is not in their favor this year, taking on the Hawkeyes, Ohio State and Michigan State on the road. However, we’ve seen this coaching staff overcome such odds before.

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