Every College Football Playoff team wants their focus to solely be on winning a national title, but Penn State head coach James Franklin addressed a problem elsewhere in the sport. 

The college football transfer portal is open, and the timing couldn’t be worse for coaches like Franklin, who already saw a key backup player enter. 

But Franklin defended his backup quarterback, Beau Pribula, who made the decision to enter the portal after starter Drew Allar already declared his intention to return to the Nittany Lions in 2025. 

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"The overlapping CFB playoff & transfer portal timeline has forced me into an impossible decision," Pribula wrote on social media Sunday. 

"We got problems in college football, and I can give you my word Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program, and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season," Franklin said, via ESPN, on Monday in defense of Pribula’s decision to enter the portal. "But the way the portal is and the timing of it and the way our team is playing, and when you play the position of quarterback and there’s only one spot and those spots are filling up, he felt like he was put in a no-win situation, and I agree with them."

Pribula spoke with Franklin about his decision before making it public. 

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Now, because of the decision, true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, who hasn’t thrown a pass, will be Penn State’s backup throughout the College Football Playoff, which begins for the Nittany Lions on Saturday against No. 11 SMU at Beaver Stadium. 

"No. 1, I hate for it, most importantly for Beau Pribula," Franklin added. "I don't think it's in the best interest of the student-athlete, I don't think it's in the best interest of college football."

Franklin added that Pribula has been a "phenomenal teammate" and has played a big role in helping his team reach the playoff, despite only being used sparingly this season. 

However, Pribula’s speed is something the Nittany Lions benefited from this season, as he’s tied for second with six rushing touchdowns and third in rushing yards (242). He also threw for five touchdowns on 25 attempts for 275 yards this season. 

Unfortunately, though, he isn’t the only player that’s entered the portal despite their team’s success. 

Former Texas Longhorns backup Maalik Murphy entered the portal last season despite his team’s upcoming game against the Washington Huskies for a place in the national championship. 

He would eventually transfer to Duke, where he’s started the 2024 season. Murphy is once again in the portal looking for his next team. 

And the Nittany Lions’ opponent on Saturday also saw the Mustangs’ backup quarterback Preston Stone enter the portal. 

This is the first year of the expanded playoff, but the transfer portal, an area of controversy throughout college football depending on who you’re talking to, remains an even bigger problem with more teams preparing for a hopeful national title run.

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Dillon Gabriel felt he and Oregon were a "perfect" match when he decided to transfer there, and Saturday night proved his instincts correctly.

The top-ranked Ducks remained undefeated, despite a heck of an effort from No. 3 Penn State, to win the Big Ten, 45-37.

The Ducks led by as many as 18 in the first half, scoring touchdowns on four of their first five drives. Penn State chipped away to get back to within four, but after getting back up 14 midway through the third quarter, Oregon seemed to have all the momentum with a 38-24 lead.

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The Nittany Lions weren't dead yet, though, as Kaytron Allen had runs of 32 and 26 yards on a drive, finishing the job with a one-yard score. James Franklin opted to be aggressive, though, and go for two, but their version of the Philly Special was unsuccessful.

Oregon's offense did their usual thing afterward, going on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a Jordan James touchdown, his second, to go up 45-30 with 7:28 to go.

But Penn State stayed alive – on 4th and 10, Drew Allar narrowly escaped a sack and zipped one into the end zone for a score to make it an eight-point game – then, they forced a three-and-out. But Allar went deep, and he was picked off. Oregon was able to get a first down, as Penn State was out of timeouts, to clinch the title.

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Tez Johnson had himself a day, caught 11 passes for a Big Ten championship record 181 yards and a touchdown. Dillon Dabriel completed 22 of his 32 passes for 283 yards and four scores.

Oregon will, in all likelihood, be the one-seed in the playoff, and despite the loss, Penn State is certainly in the running to host a game in the first round. They will find out their fate early Sunday afternoon.

As for the Ducks, it's their first conference title since winning the Pac-12 in 2020, and they now get set for their first playoff appearance since 2014, the year the playoff was born.

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After Ohio State unfathomably lost to Michigan, the door was wide open for Penn State.

The No. 2-ranked Buckeyes would have clinched a spot in the Big Ten title game had they avoided the upset to the 23-point underdogs, but they lost, 13-10.

Penn State controlled its own destiny, and all it had to do was avoid being upset.

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They did just that, taking care of business against Maryland with a 44-7 victory.

The game did not get off to an ideal start for the Nittany Lions, who fumbled on the first play of the game, then allowed a touchdown on the second. Then they scored 38 unanswered points, 28 of them in the second quarter.

Nicholas Singleton, who fumbled to start the game, found the end zone to give Penn State its first lead early in the second. After the Terps turned the ball over on downs from their own 30, it took Penn State just three plays to get into the end zone again. 

Maryland then went three-and-out, and five plays later, it was a 24-3 lead. Penn State then recorded an interception, and Drew Allar hit Tyler Warren for a 7-yard score.

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Singleton added another score in the fourth. 

After Maryland's first quarter score, it either punted or turned the ball over on each of its next 12 drives, getting past midfield just twice.

Penn State will now face Oregon in the Big Ten title game next week in Indianapolis. It's Penn State's first appearance in the championship game since 2016.

The winner will receive a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff, but losing won't be the worst thing because the losing team will likely host a home game in the first round.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are probably still safe, but the day has not gone how they'd hoped.

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