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Dude, every team does. What don’t you understand? Every team plays a few clunkers. The Kent State game does not matter. 

Did the fact that in Alabama played Mercer in week 12 last year effect them???? No!  What about the year before when they played Chattanooga, Western Kentucky, and Kent State??? Or the year before when they played MTSU, ULM, and Charleston Southern
What about last year when Georgia played Samford and Appalacian State? Or Oklahoma played UTEP and Tulane? Or when Clemson played Kent State (wow, common theme here) and The Citadel? 
Want to go back 2 years? Did playing Idaho and Portland State keep Washington out? Or Ohio State playing NC Central and Western Carolina? Or Clemson playing Troy and SC State? 
So know that we have clearly established playing mid-major or even FCS teams doesn’t effect your CFP chances, can we agree that the Kent State game doesn’t really matter?  This is his CFB works. I know your favorite team hasn’t been in a National Title race in over 40 years but this is how it operates in 2018. 

You know, we go through this same song and dance every year. You find the one or two Penn State games against “lesser opponents” and you harp on the issue like they are the only program that schedules a few cupcakes. It must really be miserable to live inside your head. 

Seems like the committee values a better record versus a tough schedule.  It's better to be 11-1 with a crap non-conference schedule than be a battle-tested 10-2 team. 

Washington made it a few years ago with Rutgers being their top non-conference game.  At the end of the day, they were 12-1 and that's all that really mattered. 

So I don't see the incentive to play tough games.  If PSU likens themselves to a final four contender for the foreseeable future, they should drop the Pitt, Virginia Tech, and Auburn games and start playing more MAC teams. 

Which is a shame. 
The committee let a Washington team who's best win was over Colorado into the playoff
They let Ohio State and Alabama go as teams that couldn't even win their division 2 years in a row and played 2 horrible OOC opponents
In back to back years, B1G champions got left out due to an OOC loss in week 2.  Penn State 2 years ago due to a road loss to Pitt.  Ohio State last year due to a loss to the eventual Heisman trophy winner.   9 conference games and playing a division with 4 consistently top 15 programs nationally right now makes the B1G East the hardest division to qualify for a playoff birth.  The PAC12 has been left out twice of the CFP and they play 9 conference games.