Penn State AD fine with Ohio State getting CFP nod last year

The announcement of the four teams selected to last year's College Football Playoff brought about a lot of discussion, at the forefront of which was the inclusion of Ohio State over Big Ten champion Penn State.

Not only did the Nittany Lions win the Buckeyes' division and conference, but they also won the head-to-head matchup during the season. Despite all that, Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour had no problem with Ohio State making the final four.

"I think Ohio State should've gone," Barbour told Sean Keeler of Landof10.com. "I have no problem with the fact Ohio State went."

While Barbour was okay with the Buckeyes grabbing a spot, that doesn't mean she felt Penn State wasn't a deserving choice. She felt the Nittany Lions winning the conference title was enough to get them in the CFP as well.

"We were arguably the best league in the country and we didn't go, so let's try to figure out why and what is there," she questioned. "(Whether) it's we, Penn State, or we, as a conference, how do we address that in the future?"

Clemson and Alabama were practically unanimous selections for the CFP, so perhaps it's not surprising that both teams easily won their semifinal matchups. While most pundits were fine with Ohio State's spot, it was Washington's position that caused great debate.

While the Pac-12 champion Huskies only lost one game during the season, their strength of schedule was well behind Penn State's.

Penn State suffered a narrow loss in an epic Rose Bowl against USC, and is expected to challenge for a national championship in the 2017 season. With Ohio State and Michigan on the Nittany Lions' schedule yet again, it's likely another scenario that sees two of those historic programs left out of the CFP occurs again.