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The College Football Playoff field is now set as conference championship weekend is over. There were five conference title games with big implications on the College Football Playoff. We saw blowouts, overtime and games that ended on last-second field goals. It was an exciting weekend of football, and the stage is now set for the CFP. The Penn State football team took #1 Oregon down to the wire in the Big Ten title game, but they couldn't pull off the upset.
Not very many people expected Penn State to win this one as the Oregon football team has been the best in college football this year. The Ducks are the only undefeated team in the country and they are the favorite to win the national title. They were narrowly favored over the Nittany Lions, and they ended up winning and covering the spread.
Oregon got out to a fast start in this one as they immediately jumped on Penn State to make it 7-0. After the Nittany Lions had to settle for a field goal, the Ducks scored again to make it 14-3, and Penn State needed to play catch up.
The Penn State football team was playing from behind for the entire game, and they were almost able to come back. Things were looking bleak in the second half as Oregon was able to take a three-score lead as they led 28-10, but the Nittany Lions got it down to seven by halftime.
Penn State played better in the second half, but they just couldn't stop this Oregon offense. The Ducks always had a response when Penn State made it close.
The Nittany Lions had a chance to tie the game late as they were able to find the end zone to make it a one-score game, and then they got a stop. Penn State had one last chance, but Drew Allar threw a crucial interception that sealed the win for Oregon. The final score was 45-37. At the end of the day, it was the defense that cost the Nittany Lions in this one.
The Penn State defense has to be better
Yes, Drew Allar did throw two crucial interceptions in this game that cost the Penn State football team, but he also helped the Nittany Lions score 37 points in this game. When Penn State scores 37 points, they usually win the game pretty easily. However, Saturday was different as their defense just couldn't get off the field.
Penn State's defense has been strong this season, but they didn't have an answer for Oregon in the Big Ten title game. To be fair, the Ducks have one of the best offenses in college football, but still, the Nittany Lions need to be better.
The good news for Penn State is that they still made the College Football Playoff, and they actually have a much easier path to the semis now than they would have had if they won on Saturday. The Nittany Lions will play a home game against SMU in the first round and the winner will play Boise State in the quarters. Oregon will play either Ohio State or Tennessee in the quarters.
You know what they say, defense wins championships. If the Penn State football team wants to turn around their luck in big games and have success in the College Football Playoff, the defense needs to rise to the occasion.
SMU and Penn State will kick off at noon ET on December 21st from Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. The game will be airing on TNT and streaming on Max, and the Nittany Lions are currently favored by nine points.
Conference championship weekend recap
Conference championship weekend is now over, and Penn State-Oregon wasn't the only one that provided a lot of excitement. Here is a quick recap of how the other four important conference championship games went down:
Starting off with the non-power four, the important conference championship was in the Mountain West. Boise State has been the best non-power four school all year long, and they locked up a CFP spot and a first round bye on Friday night as they took down UNLV 21-7.
The Big 12 title game kicked things off on Saturday, and that one was an absolute blowout. Arizona State was picked to finish last in the conference this season, and they blew by Iowa State as they won the game 45-19. The Sun Devils are headed to the playoff, and they have a bye in the first round as well.
One of the best games of the weekend was the SEC Championship. Georgia and Texas battled it out for the second time this season as the Bulldogs beat the Longhorns in Austin earlier this year. Texas didn't get the revenge they were looking for as they fell 22-19 in overtime. Both teams are in the playoff, and Georgia gets the bye.
Lastly, the ACC title game was one of the best games that we saw all weekend. SMU took on Clemson in this game, and the Tigers needed a win to punch their ticket to the CFP. They got off to a big start as they led 24-7 at halftime and 31-14 after three quarters, but the Mustangs tied it with 16 seconds left after a furious come back. However, the Tigers found a way to set up a 56-yard field goal in those 16 seconds, and they won the game on it.
We have less than two weeks until we get to see the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff. It's going to be a fun one.
