Could be a very heated argument where Penn State wins the BIG-10 - but Ohio State gets the invitation to the National Championship playoff it it beats Michigan. (Penn State beat Ohio State head to head this year.)
Barring any upsets, one could guess that Alabama, Clemson and Washington (all conference champions) will get in - but that leaves the problem noted above.
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...s-ohio-state-playoff-big-ten-champ-penn-state
Obviously, I'm extremely biased.
That said, loyalty to my alma mater aside, I think it's still a shitty precedent to disinvite a hypothetical conference champion in favor of another team FROM THEIR DIVISION who they beat head to head. Other teams should be able to get in on the coattails of a conference champion, but not instead of one. You can pontificate all you want, but the record on the field is the record on the field. Elsewise, why bother playing the games? Just have scouts show up to practice and vote on the championship.
That said, this is purely a hypothetical unless and until our boys get past MSU and Wisconsin. And this is not the same team that knocked off the Bucks; we're down three starting offensive linemen due to injury, and the depth still isn't quite there at that position. Luckily Trace McSorley has the wheels to do something when the pocket collapses, not just sit there and get pounded like Hack did.
At any rate, at this point I'm perfectly happy with however the season goes. Obviously I want PSU to win. But compared with where this team was expected to be in August, and what they showed the first few games, James Franklin is playing with house money right now. A whole pile of it.