Paul Finebaum still sees a path to College Football Playoff for Penn State despite loss to UCLA

Paul Finebaum isn’t one who often comes to the defense of Penn State. That said, as far as their chances of actually making the playoff now coming out of what happened this weekend in Pasadena, he’s not fully out just yet on the Nittany Lions.

Finebaum discussed Penn State’s hopes of still being in the College Football Playoff during ‘The Matt Barrie Show’ on Sunday. He does think, at least statistically and in some sense, that they could technically still find their way in, as improbable as that may be now with two losses that are both in conference, already with more than half of their season still to play.

“Well, I mean, I think, statistically, you have to be,” said Finebaum.

“Yeah, listen. I think it would be pretty foolish just to give them no chance because, I mean, there is a story here, and I still think, fundamentally? But, by the way, as soon as I say that Penn State could come back – you know, can Clemson come back either? I mean, Penn State and Clemson were pretty similar coming into the season, except one looked a little better and it was Penn State,” Finebaum continued later. “But, yeah, I think there’s a narrow path. It’s hard to believe. But, James Franklin? Just maybe, as I wrote and a lot of people were thinking Kalen DeBoer was finished five weeks ago? I mean, it’s a little bit hard to write anybody off in college football right now.”

Penn State doesn’t have much of a resumé, if any resumé at all, coming out of the first weekend of October. That’s with three wins all against overmatched opponents in the non-conference and a pair of losses the past two weekends to open league play with an understandable one in double overtime to No. 6 Oregon but one of much more concern yesterday against a previously winless team to UCLA. Now, at 3-2, the Nittany Lions will almost certainly have to run the table the next eight weeks, with seven games left including matchups at Iowa and Ohio State and against Indiana and Nebraska.

That’s a very disappointing spot for Penn State, now unranked, to find itself in already with what all they have to previously have been at No. 2 in the Preseason AP Poll. They’d earned that ranking as well coming in, which is why Finebaum knows it’s all the more disheartening for those up in Happy Valley.

“How did Penn State end up being the team that so many people thought was the best team in the country? Unlike some of the Texas and Florida narrative? I mean, it looked legitimate,” said Finebaum. “You’d have to agree that they had the quarterback coming back – of course the better quarterback may be at Missouri right now but nothing you can do about that. It looked like they had the roster. It looked like they had everything going for them. So, I can’t explain this because their predictions were not just built on fake hype. I mean, I think it was legitimate.”

Theoretically, Penn State is still alive as a playoff hopeful, at least for one of the at-large spots if they can win out to finish at 10-2. However, that shouldn’t be the position which the Nittany Lions are in anyways, with the idea of them having to win their final seven to get in being unlikely as it is.