Penn State bowl projections: Where are the Lions slotted ahead of Week 6?
Penn State is featured in marquee slots for the postseason, according to bowl projections from On3 and other members of the national media. The Nittany Lions are 5-0 and the No. 6 team in the country. They have a nation-leading 13 straight games with 30 or more points. And, Penn State has the top statistical defense in the country.
“Obviously you’re going to have to win throughout a season a lot of different ways,” Lions coach James Franklin said following last week’s 41-13 win over Northwestern. “We’ve been able to do that the first five weeks of the season. But I think your point is a good one. We got to be more explosive. We got to be more consistent. But again, there’s a bunch of stats that I could throw out there to you that I think a lot of programs around the country would be pretty excited about.
“You talk about scoring 30 points, we’re leading the country in consecutive games over 30 points. still accurate. It’s your guys job and my job to kind of boil this thing down and critique some of the areas that we got to get better. And there’s going to be some games that we’re going to have to score some more points. There’s no doubt about it. But again, I think we’re playing really good complementary football right now. And we’re happy to be 1-0.”
Here is a look at the lastest bowl projections entering Week 6.
Penn State bowl projections before Week 6
Mark Schlabach, ESPN: PSU vs. Alabama in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.
Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Penn State vs. USC in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.
Andy Staples, On3: Penn State vs. Alabama the Sugar Bowl.
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: PSU vs. Alabama in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.
College Football News: Penn State vs. Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.
Athlon Sports: PSU vs. Notre Dame in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.
Saturday Tradition: Penn State vs. Washington in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.
Brett McMurphy, Action Network: PSU vs. North Carolina in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
Where will the Lions end up?
Andy Staples continues to be the most bullish expert on the Nittany Lions. He has them not just making the College Football Playoff but also being its No. 1 seed.
“Yes, I’m still picking Penn State to win the Big Ten,” Staples writes. “The good news for Ohio State and Michigan is that they’ll have chances to prove me wrong on the field. So if you’d like to consider this spot reserved for the Big Ten champ, so be it.
“If you’d told me two weeks ago that I’d be picking Alabama to win the SEC, I’d have wondered if Georgia and LSU decided to take the rest of the season off. But Georgia continues to look vulnerable and Alabama has looked great twice since coaches decided Jalen Milroe was definitely QB1. Could Georgia turn on the afterburners down the stretch and wind up seeded No. 1? Of course. But for the moment, the SEC feels very much in flux.”
Penn State has a good a chance as anyone to make the CFP. But, it must clean up some areas of concern during the bye week to make that a reality. We, like everyone else, still feel very good about projecting the Lions to be in a New Year’s Six game.
