Penn State reminds us Cinderella doesn't play football

Every March, a Cinderella team emerges from a lesser-known conference to make a captivating run in basketball's NCAA Tournament.

College football had a chance to capture some of that magic Tuesday as the playoff expanded to 12 teams and let a Group of 5 champion in the field with a bye.

Well, it ain't March, this isn't basketball, and the Fiesta Bowl showed why it'll be significantly more difficult for the college football world to bring similar upsets to those we see annually during March Madness.

Boise State's history as a plucky underdog is well-documented, particularly in previous Fiesta Bowls. However, a playoff game with elevated stakes is a much taller task than a Power conference matchup with a team probably disappointed to be there.

There were no illusions from the jump that Penn State would sell out to stop star running back Ashton Jeanty on defense. The Nittany Lions repeatedly stacked the box to hold the Heisman finalist to just 4 yards on three carries on the opening drive. That essentially dared Maddux Madsen to beat them through the air if Boise State wanted to move the ball. The first-year starter should get credit for doing so at times, but three interceptions certainly didn't help the cause.

Perhaps we shouldn't have been overly shocked by Jeanty's struggles to move the ball Tuesday against the seventh-best defense in the nation. The average ranking of the rushing defense he saw this year was 91st. Outside of the two games against UNLV, Jeanty didn't face a top-50 rushing defense all season. Before you shout 'Oregon!,' the Ducks are 55th at stopping the run and allowed 297 yards on the ground to Penn State last time out. Jeanty still topped the 100-yard mark with 104, but it took him 30 carries, and he produced his worst output on the schedule.

Jeanty's brilliance is without question, but a single individual dominating on a field with 22 players is a different challenge than a basketball court with 10. A shooter can get hot and torch the higher-rated opponent - see Jack Gohlke versus Kentucky, 2024 - but even Jeanty needs plenty of help from his offensive line.

Penn State's offense looked unstoppable in the opening quarter, with questionable play-calling perhaps the only thing that slowed it down the rest of the way. Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton torched the opposition for 221 yards on a gaudy 7.6 yards per carry for the game. However, the duo only combined for 29 carries, while Drew Allar threw 25 times. Had the Nittany Lions pounded the run more, the final margin could've been even more jarring.

We knew Penn State would be bigger, faster, and stronger across the field, and that's what was on display over the 60 minutes of game action Tuesday. It was never more evident than when Tyler Warren grabbed his second touchdown of the contest, the nation's top tight end somehow pulling in a pass despite perfect coverage.

While the game was played within 10 points for a large stretch, it never seemed like Boise State would threaten once Penn State bottled up Jeanty.

Maybe 13.5-point underdog Arizona State will prove us wrong in Wednesday's opening game, but Tuesday sure made it look like the upsets will remain in March on the NCAA sports calendar for the foreseeable future.