Penn State's Sean Clifford named 'spoiler quarterback' for 2022 College Football Playoff race

Back in November 2021, reports surfaced claiming that Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin had committed his long-term future to the program via a new 10-year contract set to run through 2031. The following month, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford confirmed he would be back for the 2022 college football season thanks to having an extra campaign of eligibility because of an NCAA rule related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It appears those returns, alone, haven't filled voters with confidence this summer. 

Per Dustin Hockensmith of the Patriot-News and Ben Jones of StateCollege.com, Penn State was not ranked in the preseason USA Today/American Football Coaches Association Coaches Poll that was released at the start of the midweek. It's the first time since 2016 that the Nittany Lions are unranked in the poll at the start of a season. 

In all, PSU received 246 votes to finish below the No. 26 Iowa Hawkeyes (248 votes) and No. 25 Houston Cougars (257 votes). However, some believe Clifford and company could cause headaches for others during the upcoming College Football Playoff race. 

For a piece published Thursday morning, ESPN's Bill Connelly named his "25 most important players" for possible CFP scenarios this season. The list was separated into categories, and Clifford was ranked No. 22 overall and mentioned as a potential "spoiler quarterback." 

"A reminder: Clifford's Total QBR rating was 10th in FBS last season -- 66 percent completion rate, 7.8 yards per dropback (despite having played three elite defenses), 7.7 yards per scramble -- before he got hurt against Iowa," Connelly explained. "Both he and the PSU offense were rather dismal from there, but when Clifford is healthy, he brings a strong combination of playmaking and excellent mobility to the table. It doesn't take too many other ifs to make PSU a contender if Clifford is at his best, but at the very least he remains capable of taking down Michigan on the road or, perhaps, Ohio State at home." 

Across his on-the-field Penn State career that began in 2018, Clifford has completed 60.4 percent of his pass attempts for 7,839 yards with 62 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He's also rushed for 897 yards and 10 additional scores on 319 carries.