Penn State will be going to a bowl game this season, and all serious projections agree.
Of course, Penn State must win five of its last 11 games to qualify for a bowl. But that shouldn’t be an issue.
So, really, it’s just a matter of where Penn State would play.
CBSSports has Penn State going to the Citrus Bowl with quite a compelling opponent: The Alabama Crimson Tide.
Now, the Nick Saban era is over. So one could easily argue that Alabama doesn’t possess the “aura” it did just a few years ago. Nonetheless, this would be a matchup of two of college football’s biggest brands, at a place where Penn State hasn’t played in almost a decade.
SOME HISTORY
Penn State has played in the Citrus Bowl five times over the years, and the results haven’t been great. PSU is 2-3 in those games, with losses to Clemson (1988), Florida (1998) and, most recently, Kentucky (2019) and wins over Tennessee (1994) and LSU (2010).
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Many Penn State fans remember the most recent game the most clearly, and it isn’t an especially pleasant memory. A man by the name of Benny Snell carved PSU up that day for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries in a 27-24 Kentucky win.
PSU fans have happier memories of the 2010 Citrus Bowl, which was then known as the Capital One Bowl. That day, Penn State beat LSU 19-17 in the mud, and QB Daryll Clark fell to his knees in tears celebrating a win in his last college game.
SOME MORE HISTORY
Penn State also has history with Alabama, albeit none of it recent. Penn State’s last meeting with ‘Bama took place in 2011, with Alabama winning 27-11 in Beaver Stadium en route to the second national title of the Saban era.
The Penn State-Alabama series is best remembered for Joe Paterno’s teams going against Bear Bryant’s. The two icons went against each other four times between 1975 and 1982, and Alabama won all four games, the most famous being the 1979 Sugar Bowl.
For now, Penn State must focus on Temple. That game is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12, at noon on ESPN2 in Lincoln Financial Field.
