Path to the Big 10 title/College Football Playoff still goes through Ohio State

If you're a Penn State fan, Saturday's loss to Minnesota sucked.

It was a game the Nittany Lions should have won, could have won, almost won, but didn't win. The players didn't execute, and the coaches didn't always put them in an ideal position to do so. As a result, Penn State is no longer undefeated, and the common thought is that its college football playoff hopes are dead.

Although this loss is significant to an extent, and could well result in the Nittany Lions not getting a Rose Bowl bid, how much does it change as far as the playoff goes?

At 11:59 Saturday morning, I don't think anybody would have argued that Penn State could get to the playoff without beating Ohio State.

A loss to the Buckeyes would eliminate any chance of the Nittany Lions winning the Big 10, and without a conference title, it's hard to imagine the playoff committee putting Penn State in over teams like Oregon, Oklahoma or good ole Alabama [with or without an SEC championship]. Although the Nittany Lions are no longer ranked in the top four, the path to the playoff is, although difficult, still there.

If Penn State beats Ohio State in two weeks, it will win the Big 10 East. If the Nittany Lions win the Big 10 East, they'll play in the championship game against the winners of the Big 10 West. The Big 10 West champion will be Minnesota, so, therefore, the Nittany Lions would have a chance to negate their only loss of the season.

If Penn State finishes 12-1 with a win at Ohio State, plus three more quality conference wins, and with proof that they could beat the team that slayed them, it's hard to imagine the committee passing them up.

Pretty simple, isn't it? The bad news is, Penn State probably won't beat Ohio State. It doesn't matter that Chase Young will probably be suspended. The Buckeyes could start Neil Young at defensive end and still put a national championship contender on the field. Playing Ohio State anywhere is a chore.

Playing in Columbus is a death sentence, and unless something epic transpires Nov. 23, dreams of a national title returning to Old Main will be buried under the Horseshoe's turf while the Buckeyes sing "Carmen Ohio" in celebration of another expected win.

At the moment, Saturday's loss stings, but it's not as if Penn State had a great chance at a College Football Playoff appearance anyway. In all likelihood, when we look back on 2019, we'll see that the reason Penn State misses the College Football Playoff will be because it isn't on Ohio State's level. Not because of losing to Minnesota.