Saquon Barkley stood back on his own goal line waiting to receive the opening kickoff against No. 6 Ohio State on a chilly Oct. 28 afternoon. No. 2 Penn State was about to face its toughest task of the year.
Barkley appeared more than ready for the test. He caught the kickoff back at the 3-yard line and found a lane to reach the far sideline for a 97-yard touchdown.
Furthermore, quarterback Trace McSorley led two more touchdown drives while the defense held the Buckeyes to just three points to start the game. With a 21-3 advantage early in the second quarter, the Nittany Lions laid the foundation for a possible statement victory.
However, the tides began to turn with Ohio State, led by quarterback J.T. Barrett’s 328 passing yards with four touchdowns, slowly taking control of the game. After trading scores, the Buckeyes came back to win, 39-38, throwing a potential special season for the blue and white off the tracks.
So, let’s rewind to the start of the fourth quarter when Penn State was leading, 35-20. What if the Nittany Lions never lost this lead?
Penn State makes the 2017 College Football Playoff
Penn State finished the 2017 regular season 10-2, with its other loss coming to Michigan State.
Flipping the Nittany Lions’ loss to Ohio State into a win would place it at the top of the Big Ten East division standings at 8-1 in conference play.
Thus, James Franklin and company would’ve met undefeated Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship. The East went 10-0 against the West during that format of the conference championship, so it’s reasonable to believe Penn State wins this hypothetical game.
The 2017 College Football Playoff featured Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama, respectively. If the Nittany Lions were a 12-1 Big Ten champion, they likely take the 11-1 Crimson Tide’s spot, earning their first-ever bid to the four-team playoff.
There’s also a scenario in which Penn State grabs the top ranking in the playoff.
Had the Nittany Lions defeat Michigan State on top of Ohio State and Wisconsin, they’d be 13-0, likely slotting in ahead of 12-1 Clemson.
It’s realistic to think that the Nittany Lions could’ve won against the Spartans had they defeated Ohio State the week prior. The loss to the Buckeyes led to a flat start versus Michigan State.
While other variables make exact seeding up to debate, it’s practically a constant that the Nittany Lions make the playoff if they won against Ohio State.
Potentially eliminates negative big game narrative
During Franklin’s tenure at Penn State, one of the main narratives floated is that he can’t win big games. This wasn’t as hot of a topic back in 2017, but it has increased partly because of
the Nittany Lions losing eight-straight games to Ohio State, among other losses to highly ranked foes.
However, had Penn State defeated Ohio State in 2017, the team could’ve built momentum into potentially seeing more positive outcomes in high-stake games. It would’ve been the second-straight year it took down the Buckeyes, and it didn’t need a miracle like its “block six” a year before to take a lead.
Additionally, eliminating the narrative could’ve helped with recruiting.
For instance, quarterback Justin Fields, who was a former Penn State commit before pledging to Georgia in the 2018 class, transferred to Ohio State ahead of the 2019 season. If the Nittany Lions came out victorious in 2017, coming to Happy Valley instead might’ve been more enticing for Fields.
Franklin is 4-20 against Associated Press top-10 opponents during his time in Happy Valley. While changing this one game makes the record 5-19 in retrospect, the chain reaction a win could’ve created at the time would’ve been program altering.
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