This was not expected, or at least the timing wasn’t. Penn State’s backup QB is entering the transfer portal and will not partake in the playoff:

The portal closes in about two weeks and doesn’t open again until April. So if Pribula stuck with the Lions through whatever run they are or are not about to go on, he wouldn’t be eligible to transfer until the spring. That means a late start with his new team as he tries to win a starting job somewhere else.

EDIT – I want to rewrite this paragraph. For players whose seasons are over, they need to get into the portal in the next two weeks before it closes. If players are in the CFP, they get a five-day window after their final game. So if Penn State wins a game or two, Pribula can still enter the portal, but he’s now competing with guys who have had head starts and may already have found new schools. If PSU beats SMU and Boise, or goes even further than that, he’s not in the portal until January and his options are limited. By doing it this way, he’s getting out in front, and I think that’s what he’s referring to when he uses the phrase “impossible situation.”

So I don’t think you blame him, I think you blame the calendar. The portal should remain open for a few days after the title game to allow kids on these playoff teams to transfer.

The thing about Pribula, a dual-threat guy, is that he features in the PSU offense, even when Drew Allar is healthy. There was the Wisconsin game, when he took over for Allar in the second half, but when both are up he is not just a garbage time player. They used him a bunch in red zone situations and he added another wrinkle to the offense. Now it’s one less thing SMU and maybe Boise will have to prepare for.