Since winning the Big Ten title in 2016, it’s been a familiar refrain with Penn State and the College Football Playoff: stuck on the outside looking in.
The Nittany Lions, who were 11-2 that season, watched as Ohio State finished third in the rankings and got a spot in the playoff despite losing to Penn State and therefore dropping the Big Ten East divisional tiebreaker.
Penn State has never been closer to a playoff spot than they were that season. But, they’ve also not been all that far off the national radar in the years since either.