PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on against the UCLA Bruins during the second quarter at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 04, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
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Could a three-loss team make the playoff? That might be the hope about now with Penn State and Texas. Both are 3-2 and may not have one to give, especially the Nittany Lions. You may recall, these teams opened the season Nos. 1-2, respectively, in the AP. Now, running the table might provide the only chance at the CFP.
Making sure a loss to Oregon did not also turn into a defeat across the country in Pasadena against UCLA was message number one, two and three delivered by coach James Franklin leading up to kickoff. Alas, the Nittany Lions were 20 points in arrears at the end of the first half and kept chasing the scoreboard all afternoon before quarterback Drew Allar was buried by the Bruins’ Scooter Jackson to essentially end the game. UCLA was the only winless power conference team.
As many behind keyboards and in front of cameras have ramped up the heat on the seat in calling for the end of Franklin’s tenure in a frowning Happy Valley – the 53-year-old coach, who agreed to a 10-year extension effective 2022, has a whopping $56 million buyout — Penn State plummeted out of the AP poll (from No. 7!) and is No. 22 according to the coaches. A win over Northwestern on Saturday will not soothe the ills. Far from it.
As for any shot at the CFP, well, losing to Dan Lanning’s Ducks in overtime is one thing. Losing to UCLA is entirely something else. Because the Nits have top-ranked Ohio State in Columbus and No. 8/9 Indiana at Beaver Stadium on the schedule the first two Saturdays in November, there is still a path. It may be an extremely narrow and overgrown path, especially having to face the Buckeyes and Hoosiers in consecutive weeks. Then there is that miserable 4-21 mark recorded by Franklin-coached PSU teams against top 10 foes.
As for Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns, a 29-22 loss to the Gators, whose maligned offense came to life in the Swamp, was not a terrible loss. Certainly not on the order of Penn State stumbling at UCLA. Nonethelss, the defeat knocked UT out of the AP – from No. 9 – while checking in at No. 19 in the coaches’ poll.
Though Florida failed to defeat an FBS team in September, at least two of its three losses were to then-No. 3/4 LSU and current No. 2/3 Miami, and both on the road. The other loss was to what is now No. 24/RV USF, a team that could represent the G5 at the playoff table. The Gators also entered the day in the top 25 in scoring defense and total defense. Ron Roberts’ unit then held UT to 341 yards and twice intercepted Arch Manning.
Of course, Longhorns fans could care less about the Gators’ defense. Not when their team entered the season with national championship aspirations only to fall to 3-2 after being held to 52 yards on the ground and was flagged 10 times.
If – a huge if – Texas can get past 5-0 and No. 6/6 Oklahoma in the annual rivalry in Big D on Saturday, the Longhorns would at least work themselves back into the fringe of the playoff discussion. Three of their next four games would be on the road at Kentucky, Mississippi State and, following a visit from Vandy, Georgia. First things first. With OU on tap Saturday, at least there is an immediate opportunity to climb back into said discussion. Penn State does not have that opportunity and may not get it.
Truth is, another loss by both the Nittany Lions and Longhorns may result in the teams meeting, not in the CFP, but on New Year’s Eve in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl or ReliaQuest Bowl.
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