Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Penn State Football

Playoff Ranking: Who is Penn State Projected to Play?

Penn State HC James Franklin say whether the team played its best first half of the season Nov. 9 in a 35-6 win over Washington. The stats say they did.
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Penn State HC James Franklin

Penn State footballโ€™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 wasnโ€™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 seasonโ€™s Peach Bowl, in which Ole Miss beat Penn State to end the season.

THE REST OF THE WAY

Penn State coach James Franklin felt the team played its best overall game in a 49-10 win at Purdue Saturday, Nov. 16.

Photo by Penn State Athletics: James Franklin and Pat Kraft

Penn Stateโ€™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 bidsโ€” none of which Penn State figures to earnโ€” change things.

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER GUYS?

Oregon is now in the driverโ€™s seat to win the Big Ten, which Penn State hopes to do something about.

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, Oregonโ€” which has already clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship gameโ€” 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.

Get NSN in your Inbox

Enter your email address to get notifications of new posts by email.

More from Nittany Sports Now

Penn State Football

0 A Penn State defender will enter the transfer portal. Sunday afternoon, not long after Penn State landed a familiar face in King Mack,...

Penn State Football

0 A key Penn State defender has declared for the NFL Draft. Early Sunday afternoon, a defensive back by the name of Jalen Kimber...

Penn State Football

1 Penn State footballโ€™s latest transfer portal addition is a guy that fans should know. On Sunday, King Mack announced that heโ€™s returning to...

Penn State Football

0 A former Penn State player didnโ€™t hold back in giving his thoughts on the teamโ€™s problems at receiver. The receiver position was a...