Penn State football sent a viral post on X about Eagles running back Saquon Barkley during Philadelphia's win over Los Angeles. The former Nittany Lion had a monster game against the Rams, rushing for 255 yards and two touchdowns while also tallying up 47 yards receiving. The same weekend, head coach James Franklin and Penn State football had a tight victory at Minnesota in their march to the inaugural twelve-team College Football Playoff.
Life is good for Pennsylvania football fans, with the Eagles as the second seed in the NFC and the Nittany Lions as the No. 4 ranked team in the country. Unlike the New York Giants, Penn State football showed a little extra loyalty to Barkley with a post of him in his former uniform.
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) November 25, 2024
Penn State football is in firm control of its destiny
While the performance against the Golden Gophers wasn't perfect, James Franklin's program held on for the 26-25 victory. Saturday's victory was a result that many playoff-contending programs are jealous of right now. Seven ranked teams lost this weekend, including three in the top ten. With the chaos surrounding them, the Nittany Lions weathered the rowdy crowd in Minneapolis and marched closer to their best regular season record in the James Franklin era.
While the eleventh-year head coach has drawn criticism for not winning enough big games in Happy Valley and was even booed after the home loss to Ohio State, Franklin has built a winning program at Penn State. The Nittany Lions have won more than ten games six times since the former Vanderbilt coach took over and claimed three New Year's Six bowls. All the program is missing is that next step, which, in this new playoff era, Franklin will have plenty more chances to take.
In its last regular season game, Penn State football will host 4-7 Maryland on November 30th. With the chaos above them, the Nittany Lions could possibly still get into the College Football Playoff with a loss.
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However, to secure a higher seed and a home game in the first round, James Franklin and company will likely need to win on Saturday. Regarding the Big Ten, the likelihood of the Nittany Lions getting a conference championship berth is very slim. Ohio State would need to lose at home against Michigan for Penn State to sneak into the Big Ten championship game against No. 1 Oregon.
Should the Buckeyes qualify and lose to Oregon again, it'll be exciting to see where the Nittany Lions end up. Seeding matters very much in this playoff. If Penn State can sneak up to the five-seed, they could have a much easier path to the semifinal. There's a difference between playing at home against, for example, Arizona State, then on a neutral field against Boise State, versus facing Alabama and then the ACC champion.
Overall, Penn State football and its former running back, Saquon Barkley, are both in great form. Barkley has the best chance of winning a Super Bowl in his career. The Nittany Lions have their best chance of winning a national title in about a decade. Both the player and the program are exactly where they deserve to be.
