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Penn State bowl projections: Where are the Lions slotted ahead of Week 10?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel11/03/23

GregPickel

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Penn State improved to 3-0 this past weekend following a win over Illinois. (Photo by Steve Manuel)

Penn State has finished the first two months of the college football season. The Nittany Lions are 7-1 and a the No. 12 team in the country, according to the latest College Football Playoff rankings, ahead of the final month, and four games, of the regular season.

“We got to be able to peel things back and have honest conversations and look at things and check the data, because we have to win and find ways to get better,” Lions coach James Franklin said this week. “But there is a lot of ways to get better throughout a season, and sometimes it takes an ugly game, a setback.

“You hope and wish it doesn’t and do everything you be possibly can to learn after wins and not have to go through those setbacks or challenges, but sometimes it’s needed. Sometimes it’s needed.”

Where are they in the latest bowl projections? We have a roundup below.

Penn State bowl projections ahead of Week 10

Mark Schlabach, ESPNPSU vs. Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.

Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Penn State vs. Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.

Andy Staples, On3Dropped PSU out of the New Year’s Six bowl games.

Jerry Palm, CBS SportsPSU vs. Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.

College Football NewsPSU vs. Alabama in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.

Athlon SportsPSU vs. Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.

Saturday TraditionPenn State vs. Air Force in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.

Brett McMurphy, Action NetworkPSU vs. Ole Miss in the Cheeze-It Bowl on Jan. 1.

The Athletic: Penn State vs. Ole Miss in the Cheeze-It Bowl on Jan. 1.

Erick Smith, USA Today: PSU vs. Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.

Where will the Nittany Lions end up?

It’s notable that Staples joins McMurphy and The Athletic in dropping Penn State out of the New Year’s Six bowl mix. That means both envision another two losses coming for the Lions this year. Dropping the Michigan game at home is obviously one of them. But, PSU, despite its struggles on offense, should be a double-digit favorite in every other game this season. Thus, it’s truly hard to see them falling out of the NY6 mix at this time. Which one of those games they end up in, though, is a toss up. But, since we make a pick here every week, we’ll side with picking the Lions to go to the Peach Bowl where they will meet Alabama. That would be a fun game for both fan bases.

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