Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Left Out of the College Football Playoff, Headed to Rose Bowl

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The College Football Playoff will not include the Big Ten Champions.

Although it was expected, the College Football Playoff’s snubbing of the champions of the best conference in the nation is now official. The committee released its final rankings Sunday afternoon. Penn State, winners of their last nine games, including the Big Ten Championship, came in ranked at No. 5

Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington were selected as the final four.

While there’s not much argument for Alabama and Clemson, the tricky situation came with Ohio State and Washington.

The Buckeyes are believed by many to be one of the top teams in the nation. However, they did not win the stacked Big Ten East and did not even qualify for the conference championship. Also, Ohio State’s only loss of the season came against Penn State.

Despite having one more loss, one could certainly argue that Penn State could have been put in the final four over Ohio State. Sure, the Buckeyes pass the “eye test,” but it seems unthinkable to include a team that finished second in the Big Ten East over the champion of the division and the conference. Especially when that champion beat the second-place team.

Including the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff this year sets a bad precedent. It devalues the point of a conference championship. Also, the Buckeyes received an extra week of rest and a lesser risk of injury compared to the other three teams that were forced to play this past weekend.

As far as Washington, the Huskies entered Championship Week as the No. 4 team and demolished Colorado in the Pac 12 Championship. A loss to USC was the only blemish on Washington’s resume.

The Huskies have looked impressive lately, especially on offense. But, their schedule was not near as tough as the one Penn State played. Putting Washington in the playoff with non-conference games against the likes of Idaho and Portland State could send the wrong message when schools consider future schedules.

The issue of how this year’s College Football Playoff shook out will likely be debated for some time.

While the outcome is certainly disappointing for the Nittany Lions, a trip to the Rose Bowl on January 2 isn’t a bad consolation prize.