Expectations surrounding Penn State football entering this upcoming season remain one of the more polarizing conversations in college football, mainly due to Matt Campbell stepping into his first year leading the program. However, according to On3’s Kaiden Smith, the path to the College Football Playoff may be far more realistic than many think right now.
Smith pointed to both the schedule and quarterback experience as key factors working in Penn State’s favor.
“Penn State has a very workable schedule,” Smith said. “I know Matt Campbell wasn't the slam dunk hire. I know that, for some reason, every other quarterback who transferred to a new school the offseason, we see them all over people's top 10-20 rankings. Rocco Becht has been completely forgotten about despite him going to Penn State and being the most experienced quarterback in college football.”
While Campbell’s hire was viewed as a good one, he still had critics, and his track record shows that he can be very good with his long-time quarterback, Rocco Becht.
Experience at quarterback has become one of the most valuable things in college football, especially in an era shaped by the transfer portal. Programs rolling out first-year starters or inexperienced transfers who transfer up often deal with early growing pains, which can derail playoff positioning before October.
If there’s one thing to watch out for, it’s the fact that Becht will be transferring up, though the Big 12 had him playing decent competition.
The schedule situation is the one thing I’ve looked at and it only strengthens the case of making the College Football Playoff.
It’s good, but just as Smith framed it, it doesn’t mean easy. Big Ten opponents are still Big Ten opponents, meaning some of these games can certainly get weird here and there.
The issue for Penn State over much of the past decade was the fact that it couldn’t beat high-end opponents like Ohio State. Without Ohio State and Oregon on the schedule, it should feel good about what can happen.
In the same breath, if Penn State were to lose two games against below-average competition in the Big Ten games, there’s a chance it won’t get in.