Dvon J-Thomas, Sal Wormley, Smith Vilbert, Tyler Warren and others have waited a very long time for this moment.
They and many of their Penn State teammates came close multiple times to participating in the College Football Playoff when it was limited to four teams.
They finally get their chance Saturday at noon against SMU in the first round of the inaugural 12-team CFP.
“It’s a different type of energy this week,” linebacker Kobe King said. “It should be with it being the playoffs. It should be cold. It should be windy. It should be loud. We’re looking at this as an opportunity.”
From 2016-23, the Nittany Lions finished in the top 12 of the final CFP rankings six times and didn’t get inside the door.
They’ve had teams capable of having playoff success, such as the 2017 team with Trace McSorley, Saquon Barkley, Mike Gesicki, DaeSean Hamilton, Marcus Allen, Jason Cabinda and others. Those Lions lost two games by a total of four points.
The 2019 team with Sean Clifford, Journey Brown, Jahan Dotson, Pat Freiermuth, Michal Menet, Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos and others lost two road games to Ohio State and Minnesota.
Penn State’s current team represents them and the Lions’ undefeated and uncrowned teams in 1968, ’69, ’73 and ’94, which never had an opportunity to play for a national championship.
Joe Paterno, the coach of those four teams, pushed for an eight-team college football playoff for many years, for good reason.
James Franklin, the current Penn State coach, also has campaigned for an expanded playoff, for good reason.
This is a big game for him. Seeking his 100th win with the Lions, Franklin would like nothing better than for them to advance and strengthen the case that Penn State belongs in the conversation with the top programs in the country.
His players want a playoff victory for him as much or more than he does.
“I know in this day and age with NIL and the transfer portal, relationships are something that are becoming lost in college football,” center Nick Dawkins said. “I came to Penn State to play for Coach Franklin because of the kind of man he is, the kind of coach he is and the kind of person that he is.
“He’s the man that I strive to be.”
When the CFP pairings came out earlier this month, many thought the Lions had a favorable path to a semifinal Jan. 9 in the Orange Bowl. We’ll soon find out.
SMU is a formidable opponent with a dazzling quarterback in Kevin Jennings. The Mustangs, however, have not played a defense as strong as the one Penn State has.
When the Lions take the field, they will be wearing their alternate uniforms, dubbed “Generations of Greatness.”
They’ll also be representing the coaches and the players who came before them.
This is for McSorley and Clifford; for Barkley and Brown; for Godwin and Dotson; for Gesicki and Freiermuth; for Allen, Parsons and Gross-Matos; and for their teammate, Landon Tengwall, whose career was cut short by injury.
They’ll also be playing for Penn State fans, especially the ones who will brave the elements Saturday.
“It’s really cool to be able to have a home playoff game and let our fans experience that,” Warren said. “We’re happy to do that. It’s really cool to be in this situation and to give back to Happy Valley and State College. It’s awesome.”