College Football Playoff: 5 teams that could make it for the first time in 2020

Of all the Power 5 teams that haven’t made the College Football Playoff yet, the Penn State Nittany Lions come as a complete shock. They’ve been arguably the closest and the most consistent, yet the highly coveted four-team field has evaded them. No, it will not be easy for the Nittany Lions to get in this year, but they will have their opportunity to be a top-seeded team.

Penn State has a huge game vs. the ACC’s Virginia Tech Hokies in early September in the non-conference. Having the stones to play Justin Fuente‘s team on the road in Blacksburg cannot be overstated. The Nittany Lions also have a tough road game in early October vs. division rival Michigan right before their bye. They could drop either game in still be in great shape to get in.

Post-bye, it’s a lot of Beaver Stadium and Memorial Stadium action. It cannot be overstated how important getting division rival Ohio State at home this year is. At the Horseshoe, the Nittany Lions would have next to no chance. In Happy Valley, it might be Ohio State crying tears of a lost perfect season. That game might end up deciding the Big Ten for all we know. It usually does.

A home win over Iowa and a road win over Nebraska could be two more quality wins Penn State could have on its resume. Beating Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin or whoever out of the Big Ten West in Indianapolis could mean the Nittany Lions are a top-two seed as a one-loss Big Ten champion. Two losses will undo them, but wins over potentially five top-25 teams could certainly help them.