After the Buckeyes lost to the Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl a year ago, players did not waste time entering the Transfer Portal. In total, the Buckeyes lost more than 30 players in the portal. One of them was running back James Peoples, who decided to transfer to Penn State.
Peoples is hoping to compete for the starting running back job, which is something he was not going to do at Ohio State. The Buckeyes don't face the Nittany Lions in the regular season this year, but Peoples is confident he will see them in the College Football Playoff.
James Peoples wants to play Ohio State in the CFP
While speaking at Penn State's local media day, the former Buckeye is confident that he will end up seeing his former teammates in the CFP.
"I intend to cross paths with those guys. It's nothing different. I have the same [expectations] as the other team over there. I think there’s no reason this team is not going to make it into the postseason. I have full faith that we are."
Peoples seems to believe that the Nittany Lions will be seeing Ohio State either in the Big Ten Championship Game or in the College Football Playoff. However, Penn State is ranked 17th in the preseason Coaches Poll, which is sixth among Big Ten teams.
That would not get it done in terms of making the Big Ten Championship or the CFP. The Nittany Lions also have a brand new coach in Matt Campbell and a ton of new faces. Making the Playoff would constitute a surprise. However, Peoples seems confident in what the Nittany Lions have.
It seems that Peoples wants to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes badly. Perhaps he wants revenge for never getting a true look as a potential starter, but he clearly believes that he will get that opportunity this season. I'd be shocked if that happened, though.
Ohio State is almost a shoo-in to make the College Football Playoff
While the Nittany Lions might struggle to make the CFP in Campbell's first year, Ohio State will almost certainly make it. They could lose two games and still make it comfortably. With how tough their schedule is, the Buckeyes might even be able to lose three games.
Of course, losing any games is not something that Ryan Day and his staff are looking at. The entire team wants to go undefeated in the regular season, as they did last year, and finish better. The Scarlet and Gray certainly have the talent to do so, but that might be a tall order.
Penn State was one of the most disappointing teams in all of college football a year ago, finishing with a 6-6 record after being ranked second in the preseason AP Poll. To turn around and become a CFP participant in just one year will be a tough task.
However, Peoples thinks the team can do it. It remains to be seen if he'll be the starting running back, though.
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