The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams this year, and that means more teams will get an invitation to play for some confetti and trophies. The usual suspects like Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State have a good chance to be a part of the CFP, but there are sure to be other teams that haven't gotten into the playoff in years past now have a good chance of crashing the party.
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, the unofficial voice of college football, appeared on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday to talk a little college football and was asked which teams he sees as being dark horses to make the new playoff format from the Power Five (now, ahem, four) conferences. The former Ohio State quarterback mentioned Rutgers as a surprise pick, but also identified Penn State as a dark horse contender out of the Big Ten.
"I think in the Big Ten, if Penn State, their quarterback can step up, Drew Allar and Penn State are always a threat," Herbstreit said. "They've been close and I know people that don't like Penn State will say they always lose to Ohio State and Michigan, but I think they're better on the perimeter at wide receiver, so I think that could be a possibility within the Big Ten."
It's hard to argue with Herbstreit on Penn State having a chance to make the expanded playoff, but I'm not sure I would call James Franklin's crew a dark horse. After all, it's one program that will likely benefit from more teams getting in. As Paul Finebaum said, the Nittany Lions might still be able to lose to the Buckeyes and Wolverines and still get in going forward, and would have likely been a part of a 12-team field in previous years.
But hey, it's going to be a fun and interesting year in the Big Ten and beyond regardless, and don't be surprised if Penn State is right in the mix.