For a fan base that is always whining about how the deck is always intentionally stacked against them, they're in a pretty nice spot for having beaten exactly..... no one.......
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/news/content/ar-AA1ufakn?ocid=sapphireappshare
Why Penn State enjoys ideal CFP bracket spot, playing chess to Ohio State's checkers
   Story by Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY NETWORK
 • 18h  •  6 min read
Penn State moved its rook to C(FP)6.
The 
Nittany Lions are out here playing chess with their 
playoff positioning, while others battle in a fierce game of checkers.
Penn State 
destroyed hapless Purdue on Saturday, pushing it one move closer to knotting up a home first-round playoff game without having to play in the Big Ten championship game.
If Ohio State beats Indiana next weekend, the Buckeyes are in line for a rematch with Oregon in the conference championship, with the possibility of those two powers meeting for a third time in the CFP.
            
If Indiana topples OSU, then the Hoosiers would be positioned to play Oregon for the conference crown.
            
Either way, Penn State can sit home on conference championship weekend, rest up, study some film and cruise into to a first-round host seed without beating a single team that will finish ranked in the top 25.
            
Pretty ideal, huh?
            
The Nittany Lions (9-1) slotted into the 
No. 6 seed line in the bracket in 
last week’s update from the playoff committee, and there’s a solid chance they wind up there. That’s prime real estate.
            
The 6-seed will host the 11-seed in Round 1, followed by a game against the No. 3 seed in the quarterfinals. That 3-seed likely will be a team from the ACC, Big 12 or Group of Five, with Big Ten and SEC teams best positioned for the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds.
Alternatively, the Buckeyes could beat Indiana, then lose to Oregon in the Big Ten championship, get seeded fifth, and be on a collision course to face the Ducks for a third time in the CFP semifinals.
            
To think, that’s OSU’s reward for beating Penn State in Happy Valley on Nov. 2.
            
Some prize.
            
Penn State’s opponents have a combined record of 48-53.
            
The committee’s a sucker for the eye test, and their eyes tell them the Nittany Lions are good. Never mind that Purdue (1-9) stinks.
            
"That was the best game we played overall," Penn State coach James Franklin said after his team’s 49-10 destruction of the Boilersmakers, "in terms of four quarters, offense, defense, special teams, complementary football."
            
Penn State fans seethed after 
Franklin lost to the Buckeyes two weeks ago, his 10th loss to OSU in 11 tries.
            
Consider that loss sacrificing a pawn, while the Nittany Lions played the long game and positioned themselves for one of the very best spots on the bracket.