30 games that will eventually decide the 12-team College Football Playoff

Every year, a few games change the scope and brevity of the race towards the College Football Playoff. This year, one game already made a major impact, and these 30 others should give us a look into who will participate in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins (94) celebrates a tackle against Ohio State. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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21. Penn State vs. WVU: Aug. 31

There is so much to love about both of these teams. Penn State is considered a very big favorite to make the Playoff at the end of the season. That’s to be expected from the No. 8 team in the country going into the season. Penn State was a fun team last year, which isn’t exactly the mantra of a Big Ten team. They can blow the top off a team

West Virginia University is always fun. Literally, kids know the name Tavon Austin because he has the best mixtape in college football history. Both Pat White and Geno Smith have highlight reels that most players can’t top. Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, Kevin White, the list goes on and on. None of them are on the team now, but there is plenty of fun on this roster (and a lot of it goes through running backs CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White.

Okay, it’s all fun, but this comes down to the quarterback battle. Drew Allar versus Garrett Greene should be getting more coverage. These two could really surprise people this season, and both could do wonders for their NFL Draft stock if they have great seasons. Greene doesn’t have much of a shot because of his size, but his speed will intrigue. Allar hasn’t been discussed at the top of the list, but his huge arm and overall ability mean the sky’s the limit. It could be as simple as “The better QB wins this game.” We’re not sure if that makes WVU a Playoff contender, but it definitely makes us question the Nittany Lions.

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