I get it. There's that part of me that thinks this will be just like any other time but here's the thing and this isn't just me saying it. This is Joel Klatt saying it. This is Josh Pate saying it. This is most of the talking heads in the country saying it.
Penn State almost *never* loses games they're supposed to win. The only teams that beat them are teams that are just better. Ohio State this year was picked by almost everyone to win the CFP. Oregon was picked by almost everyone to be a playoff team. Michigan last year was picked by almost everyone to get to the playoffs. The only other times they lose are to SEC teams in bowl games where PSU has a lot of opt-outs. Aside from that, they almost always win. And even this year, both of those losses were winnable. Allar makes a better read before that last interception against Oregon and maybe we're not even having this conversation. Kotelnicki doesn't try to get cute against Ohio State and they probably win that game. The losses this year have been closer and different.
Because of that, and the way this team didn't fold against USC, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, that makes me believe it's going to take a lot to get past this team.
And Southern Methodist ain't it.