Who would’ve thought this would be up for debate?

Penn State football has one regular season game left against Maryland at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions are favored to win, which would solidify an 11-1 regular season record and likely a home College Football Playoff game.

In the unlikely event Michigan upsets Ohio State just before Penn State kicks off on Saturday, the Nittany Lions would also face Oregon in the Big Ten Championship on December 7 in Indianapolis, Indiana. If the Ducks handed the Nittany Lions a second loss, it could be problematic for their ambitions of making a College Football Playoff run.

Would the playoff committee still give a two-loss team a spot? Does the prospect of a loss make playing in the Big Ten Championship a bad thing for Penn State? This has been a topic of discussion in the sport, with Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin suggesting he wouldn’t want to play in the SEC Championship given the potential implications of a loss. So, two of our staffers debated whether or not playing in the Big Ten Championship would benefit Penn State.

Cooper Cazares: Penn State Is Better Off Not Going To The Big Ten Championship

Penn State is better off not going to the Big Ten Championship. There are a multitude of reasons why the Nittany Lions should hope the Big Ten standings stay exactly as they are now, with top-ranked Oregon facing No. 2 Ohio State.

First and foremost, what would Penn State gain by winning the Big Ten? The winner gets a first-round bye and could argue to be the No. 1 seed going into the College Football Playoff given the Nittany Lions would have to beat the best team in the country.

So, for the sake of argument, Penn State is the No. 1 seed, and Oregon drops to the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. The Nittany Lions would play the winner of Georgia and Tennessee as of this week’s playoff prediction. If the Nittany Lions won the conference, how much of that momentum would be lost in the following bye week?

Under James Franklin, Penn State is 6-7 after bye weeks with four losses against ranked opponents. Playing against the best team in the country takes a lot of preparation, mental strength, and focus. After a bye week, going against one of the aforementioned SEC teams could be a bigger challenge than not going to the conference championship game at all. Instead, playing a home game for the first round of the playoffs would be a much easier path toward a national title.

This doesn’t consider what would happen if Penn State lost the conference championship. Without a quality win on their resume, the Nittany Lions would have two “quality losses.” However, it would drop them in the rankings and maybe out of hosting a playoff game in the first round. Why would it be worth getting to the conference championship game if it costs the team a chance to play in front of a home crowd in Happy Valley against easier competition?

The Nittany Lions will have more success if they miss the conference championship simply because they will face lesser competition immediately before harder games. In the most recent predictions, Penn State was slated as the No. 6 seed where they would host a home game against No. 11 Indiana. The next game, if Penn State won, was predicted to be against the projected ACC champion, Miami, which would have a first-round bye. Both matchups are arguably easier than playing a Georgia or Tennessee team at a neutral site. This route to the College Football Playoff semifinals is the path of least resistance for the Nittany Lions, avoiding the superior Big Ten and SEC competition.

Penn State needs to root for the Buckeyes to take care of business against Michigan this Saturday, allowing the Nittany Lions to host a playoff game in Beaver Stadium as a tune-up before a tougher matchup in the quarterfinals and on.

Nolan Wick: Send Penn State To Indy

Cooper makes a good argument, but Penn State is better off playing in the Big Ten Championship.

Sure, the Nittany Lions would be underdogs against Oregon. But what if they win? Such a milestone would be huge for the program, which would reap benefits in every area. Accomplishing this feat in the first season with 18 teams in a much more competitive conference is a big statement for Penn State football.

I understand Penn State probably wouldn’t beat Oregon. If it didn’t, its two losses would be against highly-ranked opponents. I can’t see the College Football Playoff committee dropping Penn State from the field entirely, and the resume would probably still be better than Tennessee’s, Georgia’s, and any other team except Notre Dame’s, meaning a home playoff game would still be in the cards.

If Penn State played in the Big Ten Championship and won, there would still be ample time to prepare for the next opponent. Sure, Penn State has bye week woes, but James Franklin has improved at preparing his team to play after the break in recent seasons. That break could be a difference-maker against any opponent that hasn’t had as much time off to get over injuries, install a game plan, and prepare for the Nittany Lions.

Either way, Penn State should go for glory. Winning the Big Ten is still meaningful, regardless of playoff expansion and seeding. The program benefits much more by getting that chance.