Penn State football’s latest College Football Playoff ranking is in.
As expected, the team stayed at No. 4 on account of Oregon, Ohio State and Texas winning this past Saturday, along with Penn State pounding Purdue 49-10 in West Lafayette.
The question coming into this week wasn’t where Penn State would be ranked, but where it would be seeded and who it would play against in the first round?
It turns out, Penn State is seeded sixth and slated to play No. 11 Georgia.
Before this Tuesday, Penn State was seeded at No. 6, projected to host No. 11 Ole Miss at Beaver Stadium. This would be a rematch of last season’s Peach Bowl, in which Ole Miss beat Penn State to end the season.
THE REST OF THE WAY
Photo by Penn State Athletics: James Franklin and Pat Kraft
Penn State’s regular season is down to two games, starting this Saturday at Minnesota. The next weekend, the team has its annual Senior Day against Maryland at Beaver Stadium. Penn State is a two-touchdown favorite at Minnesota (6-4) and is likely to be a big favorite over Maryland, which is currently 4-6. If Penn State wins its last two games, it will be in the Playoff, likely with a home game. If it loses one of the next two, things get quite interesting. Penn State has finished the regular season in the top 12 six times in the last eight seasons despite never finishing better than 10-2. But the 12-team playoff and five automatic bids— none of which Penn State figures to earn— change things.
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER GUYS?
EUGENE, OR – OCTOBER 12: Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) runs for a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter during a college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks on October 12, 2024, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.(Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire)
As far as the teams ahead of Penn State are concerned, Oregon— which has already clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship game— has a bye week before ending its regular season at home against Washington Nov. 30. Ohio State has a showdown with No. 5 Indiana at Big Noon this Saturday in Columbus, and No. 3 Texas hosts Kentucky.
Penn State-Minnesota is scheduled for 3:30 on CBS.
