Joel Klatt has never been shy about sharing his opinions, and he has a strong one about this Penn State team ahead of the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff.

On Friday, Klatt joined The Ringer’s Ryen Russillo to discuss the College Football Playoff. Klatt made the case for Penn State as a potential national title contender.

“I think Penn State is as close as they have been since Kerry Collins to being like a legitimate national championship contender,” Klatt explained. “I could see them coming out of that side of the bracket.”

The Nittany Lions easily got past SMU in the first round of the Playoff and will now take on Boise State in the quarterfinals in the Fiesta Bowl.

Klatt mentioned, however, that the team’s loss to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game actually impressed him more than the blowout win over SMU.

“The way they played against Oregon in a loss is what makes me actually believe in them more than what they did against SMU,” said the analyst.

In that game, the Nittany Lions lost a shootout to the Ducks with a final score of 45-37. It was a unique sight to see a Penn State offense matching up and down the field, as the team usually relies on stout defense and a strong ground game.

Penn State and Boise State will kick off in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. ET.