For the first time this season, Penn State football’s in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings.
PSU moved up slightly from 11 to 10 after No. 9 Oklahoma fell at Oklahoma State Saturday and Penn State pounded Maryland 51-15.
It’s small progress for Penn State, but progress nonetheless.
For Penn State to make it to the Playoff for the first time, it would need to finish in the top four. To have any chance of doing that, Penn State needs to beat No. 3 Michigan at Beaver Stadium Saturday afternoon. That game is scheduled for a noon kickoff on Fox. Penn State already has a loss under its belt, falling at Ohio State Oct. 21. For the second straight week, Ohio State is No. 1 according to the CFP committee. Two-time defending national champion Georgia is behind it at No. 2, followed by Michigan. Unbeaten Florida State rounds out the top four.
On the outside looking in, 9-0 Washington has stayed at No. 5. Oregon, who’s lone loss is to Washington, is No. 6. One-loss Texas is No. 7. Alabama and Ole Miss are eight and nine before Penn State rounds out the top ten.
If Penn State loses to Michigan, it will fall out of the top 10 and its national championship dreams will be shattered. If Penn State beats Michigan and wins its final two regular-season games against Rutgers at home and Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit, “The Game” will be come all the more intriguing.
Even if Penn State wins out, it will need Michigan to beat Ohio State, as well as some help from the Big Ten West teams it beat, namely Iowa, to get to the conference championship game in Indianapolis.
