Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

INDIANAPOLIS — Saquon Barkley had to repeat the question to give himself more time to consider it.

“If we don’t make the playoffs, is that a disappointment?” Penn State’s star tailback said late Saturday night into Sunday morning.

“I mean, I think everyone would answer that differently. But personally, myself? If we don’t make the playoffs, would I be upset? Yes. Because you’re a competitor, and you want to compete for a national championship.

“But you can also only control what you can control. And if we get left out, we’re still playing for the Rose Bowl. You can’t go wrong with that.”

And so it is. Penn State’s can-you-believe-it run to a Big Ten championship left the Nittany Lions just one spot out of the College Football Playoff when the four-team field was revealed Sunday afternoon. It will be a trip to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2 instead, taking on No. 9 USC.

The Lions will be headed back to Pasadena for the first time since the end of the 2008 season to take on a familiar face. This is Penn State’s fourth trip to the Rose Bowl (1922, 1994, 2008) and it will be the third time USC is the opponent. The Trojans won both previous meetings. Penn State beat Oregon in the 1994 game.

Washington snagged the final spot into the bracket, joining No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State. Penn State had two losses while the others had one or zero.

In the end, that was the biggest difference for 12-person panel who made the decision.

“We looked at one-loss Washington, and that loss being against at top-10 opponent (USC), compared to a two-loss Penn State team,” CFP committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said on ESPN’s announcement show. “One loss, they were not competitive in that particular game (49-10 at Michigan). The other loss was to an 8-4 team (Pitt).

“We talk about strength of schedule, and that obviously favored Penn State. If Washington had a stronger strength of schedule, I don’t think the conversation would have been as difficult.”

It’s the only time it can be said that a team had to settle to play in the Rose Bowl.

James Franklin was the first coach to be interviewed on the show after Hocutt spoke, and the Penn State boss elected to take the high road.

“Our guys obviously would have loved to be in the playoffs,” Franklin said. “But we’re also excited about the opportunity to play in a big bowl game and continue our season. We’re still very appreciative and honored for the opportunity we have.

“We don’t look at it as just this year. It’s been a three-year journey for us with some really strong challenges. … It’s been fun to see the lettermen come back and support us and the community’s excited. Our kids are just so proud of what we accomplished. And we still have work to do.”

The Trojans (9-3) will take plenty of work to beat. The game will pit two of the country’s hottest teams — Penn State has won nine in a row and USC has taken eight straight.

Another way to put it would be that both programs got off to mediocre starts in September. Penn State was 2-2 and USC was 1-3 before they turned things around.

For Penn State, it was a matter of getting healthier after a rash of injuries struck at linebacker and then getting comfortable in a new system under a new offensive coordinator.

“I’ve just had the opportunity to watch Penn State really on TV, culminating in last night’s exceptional win,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “And the one thing that jumps out at you right off the bat is offensively how talented they are with Barkley and (quarterback Trace) McSorley and the points they’re putting up.”

Helton’s Trojans, meanwhile, got a huge spark from switching quarterbacks. Redshirt freshman Sam Darnold has been one of the nation’s best passers since October.

“Once the quarterback started clicking for them, then distributing the ball, the whole team just kind of developed around him,” Franklin said. “So it’s been fun to watch. It’s exciting to watch.

“They’re a dangerous team. I’ve heard a lot of people say on the radio as well as on TV that they may be the most dangerous team in the country right now.”

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_rose-logo2016124145040451-2.jpg.optimal.jpg

Penn State players celebrates after defeating Wisconsin in Saturday night’s Big Ten championship, earning the Nittany Lions a trip to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_AP163391909718862016124121756215-6.jpg.optimal.jpgPenn State players celebrates after defeating Wisconsin in Saturday night’s Big Ten championship, earning the Nittany Lions a trip to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2. Michael Conroy | AP photo

By Derek Levarse

[email protected]

ROSE BOWL

No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 9 USC

5 p.m., Jan. 2, ESPN

Pasadena, Calif.

Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse

VideoID: 8tVuzR8zwk8
VideoType: YOUTUBE
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tVuzR8zwk8
Video Embed String:
Video Caption:
Video Credit: Penn State Athletics
Video Position:

(use the “for files…” link above to associate attached files with this source)