Top college football analyst picks Penn State for CFP

What if I told you that the Penn State football team will miss the Big Ten Championship Game, but will make the College Football Playoff this season? It’s a legitimate scenario that could happen this season. It’s something that Josh Pate of CBS Sports is a firm believer in as well. A Nittany Lion squad that goes 11-1 on the season but gets the final seed in the CFP ranking. If this outcome were to come true, it would take Penn State losing to Ohio State but beating Michigan in 2023.

Top college football analyst picks Penn State for CFP

In last night’s edition of Late Kick with Josh Pate, the popular college football analyst reviewed each conference. He predicted who would win each conference and who would make the College Football Playoff this season. In his CFP prediction, Pate had Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, and Penn State.

Josh Pate believes that Penn State will miss the Big Ten Championship game but predicts they will make the College Football Playoff. 👀🔥🦁 pic.twitter.com/E5UI9NMq3f

— The Basic Blues Podcast (@BasicBluesPod) August 28, 2023

When he picked the Nittany Lions Pate explained “I think Penn State is going to find a way to lose one game and no more. And they may not play in the Big Ten Championship Game. But that one loss non-conference champ team, that so many people will think is either Bama or Georgia or Ohio State or Michigan. I think it’s Penn State.

Pate has been high on the Nittany Lions this offseason and in his own preseason JP Poll he had them ranked 8th overall. It’s not a secret that many analysts expect big things from Penn State this fall.

It’s not just Josh Pate

There is more than just one popular college football analyst out there. On Saturday ESPN’s College Gameday analyst Kirk Herbstreit also gave a boost of confidence in the Nittany Lions. People are seeing the offensive line, the running game, the tight end room, plus this defense and it’s tough to imagine a bad season. It depends on whether Drew Allar can live up to his five-star hype. If so, then the Nittany Lions could certainly be in the CFP this season.

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