It wouldn’t quite have the same feel as it would have with Nick Saban on the sidelines but a Penn State-Alabama matchup at Beaver Stadium would excite a lot of people.
At least one analyst predicts that will happen.
Bud Elliot of 247Sports has No. 6 PSU hosting No. 11 Alabama in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff, which will be held at the higher seed’s home stadium.
Here is my updated College Football Playoff projection after Week 2 pic.twitter.com/x6uHotGlmO
— Bud Elliott (@BudElliott3) September 9, 2024
To finish No. 6, Penn State almost certainly would have to go 11-1. For reference, Penn State finished 10-2 last season and ended the regular-season ranked tenth before a Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss knocked it out of the Top 10.
Elliot projects Georgia to be the No. 1 team in the country, thus getting a bye.
He has Ohio State winning the Big Ten and finishing No. 2, followed by ACC champ Miami at No. 3.
Big 12 champ Utah would then get the fourth a final bye, with No. 12 Boise State getting the fifth automatic bid as the highest-ranked Group of Five team.
Penn State is the second-highest ranked at-large squad behind No. 5 Texas, who would take on Boise State in Austin. Elliot has Big Ten newbie, USC, getting in as the No. 10 seed, where it would play at No. 7 Tennessee. Another Newbie, Oregon, is the No. 8 seed, where it would host Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss in the tricky 8-9 matchup.
PSU hasn’t played Alabama since 2011 in what turned out to be one of legendary coach Joe Paterno’s last home games.
Saban and Alabama took care of Penn State that afternoon, 27-11. Alabama leads the all-time series with Penn State 10-5, including one in Penn State’s 1982 national championship season.
