Penn State loss not necessarily crippling

Playoff room likely for a one-loss team

A one-point loss at Ohio State wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to Penn State this season.

Now, don’t be confused. Winning is always better than losing, so the Nittany Lions’ stumble at the Horseshoe was far from the best thing that could have unfolded for Penn State’s playoff prospects. And losing after taking a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter and an 11-point lead into the final five minutes? Not ideal.

But zoom out for a moment from the Nittany Lions’ shortterm misery and look at a more global angle. Penn State (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) might just be able to follow the same path to the playoff that Ohio State did last year when it suffered its only loss . . . that’s right, in a one-possession loss at eventual Big Ten champion Penn State.

After next week’s trip to Michigan State (6-2), Penn State will host sub-. 500 Nebraska and Rutgers before closing the regular season against a Maryland team that closed the day at 4-4. It’s not hard to envision 7-1 Penn State becoming 11-1 in four weeks.

Then survey the rest of the landscape. The only remaining undefeated teams in power conferences are Alabama, Georgia, Miami and Wisconsin. There’s going to be room for one or more one-loss teams in the playoff, and it’s unlikely there will be a oneloss team with less to feel bad about stemming from its loss than the Nittany Lions — with Notre Dame (a one-point loss to Georgia) a notable exception.

Penn State still needs some help. A Notre Dame stumble would be useful, as would the Big 12 and Pac-12 continuing to cannibalize themselves. But as Ohio State demonstrated last year, a league title isn’t a prerequisite for a playoff berth.

Unheralded start

■ Drew Lock, Missouri, threw for 377 yards and five TDs to help the Tigers rout Connecticut 52-12.

■ Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic, ran for 244 yards and four TDs in a 42-28 win over Western Kentucky.

■ Antonio Wilcox, Furman, ran for 202 yards and a score in a 28-6 win over Western Carolina.

■ Myles Gaskin, Washington, ran for 169 yards and a TD to help the the 12th-ranked Huskies rout UCLA 44-23.

■ Taryn Christion, South Dakota State, threw for 386 yards and five TDs in a 52-24 win over Western Illinois.

■ Austin Howard, Southern, threw for five TDs in a 47-40 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

■ Peyton Huslig, Missouri State, accounted for 385 yards and four TDs in a 59-20 victory over Indiana State.

Numbers

3:_Fumbles recovered by North Dakota State’s Levi Jordheim against Northern Iowa, tying the school record set in 1976 by Don Meyers.

29:_Career victories by Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph, breaking the school record set by current coach Mike Gundy from 1986 to 1989.

73:_Points by No. 18 UCF in its 40-point win over Austin Peay, a school record.

72-8: Air Force’s record under coach Troy Calhoun when taking a lead into the fourth quarter. They’ve also scored at least 30 points in five straight games.

22-5: K-State’s record against Kansas the past 27 meetings after Saturday’s 30-20 win.