Will James Franklin, Penn State finally crack College Football Playoff in 2024?

Head coach James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions are coming off their second consecutive 10-plus-win season, but it has come without an appearance in the College Football Playoff. 

That said, with a 12-team playoff making its debut in the sport next season, is Penn State poised to make its first appearance in the College Football Playoff?

On the latest edition of “The No. 1 College Football Show with RJ Young,” host RJ Young explained why he’s cautiously optimistic that the Nittany Lions will break through.

“I’m going to say hit, tentatively, because there are 12 teams that are going to earn selections … I think there’s still room for Penn State, for USC, for the runner-up in the Big Ten Championship Game to get there. It’s also really helpful to Penn State that they don’t have divisions anymore,” Young said about whether Penn State will make the playoff in 2024. “The thing that was holding Penn State back is they had Ohio State and Michigan in their division, and that’s in a year in which Michigan State happened to not be good, and there were some years in there where Michigan State was absolutely good, and yet still, Penn State just can’t get to the promised land of the College Football Playoff, not because they’re not good, but just because they’re not better than Michigan or Ohio State, and it’s a four-team playoff.

“I think that they could be one of those three or four best Big Ten teams, and we’re probably going to put the fourth-best Big Ten team in before we put in say the fourth-best ACC team because, right now, we think more of the Big Ten than we do of the ACC and the Big 12 for that matter.”

The new format pencils in the five highest-ranked conference winners into the playoff, with the top four getting a first-round bye, and seven subsequent at-large bids.

The Nittany Lions were a well-oiled machine on both sides of the ball last season. Their offense averaged 215.0 passing yards (fifth in the Big Ten), 185.2 rushing yards (first), 400.2 total yards (second) and 36.2 points per game. Defensively, they surrendered just 153.6 passing yards (third), 69.7 rushing yards (first), 223.3 total yards (first) and 11.4 points (third) per game.

In what was his first season as Penn State’s full-time starting quarterback, Drew Allar totaled 2,631 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, two interceptions and a 136.9 passer rating, while completing 59.9% of his passes. He also rushed for 206 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, the one-two running back punch of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton combined for 1,654 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, while Singleton also reeled in 26 receptions for 308 yards and two scores.

So, what went wrong?

Penn State lost to Ohio State, 20-12, racking up just 240 total yards and stretching its losing streak to the Buckeyes to seven. It also lost to Michigan, 24-15, racking up just 238 total yards and stretching its losing streak to the Wolverines to three. The Nittany Lions then lost to the Ole Miss Rebels in the Peach Bowl, 38-25.

If Penn State is going to make a jump in 2024, Young sees Allar as the key.

“[Franklin’s] going to need Drew Allar to get it together. I understand your frustration if you’re a Penn State fan about how we talk about Drew Allar because you know, like I know, he’s got the goods; he’s talented. It’s all there for him, and he’s chippy enough to go out there and do it, but he doesn’t look like the dude that can get it done,” Young said. “He’s got a howitzer for an arm, but he’s not accurate, and even then, they were afraid to let that man throw the ball down the field.”

As for next season, the Big Ten is welcoming USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the conference, creating an 18-team league without the West vs. East format to determine who plays in the conference title game. Oregon is the only one of the Big Ten newcomers that Penn State doesn’t play in 2024, while it also doesn’t play Michigan. 

Penn State hasn’t won the Big Ten since 2016 and is 88-39 under Franklin (2014-present), with five 10-plus-win seasons.

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