Penn State football bowl projections: Where are the Lions slotted before a top-10 showdown?
Penn State football will know more about its postseason possibilities following a three-week October stretch that starts with a top-10 showdown at Michigan on Saturday. That hasn’t stopped prognosticators from across the country from making early predictions about who will end up where in the postseason, however.
Where will the Lions go if the decisions were made today? Blue-White Illustrated rounds up the projections each week, and here is the rundown for Oct. 11.
Penn State bowl projections
Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Penn State vs. Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl.
College Football News: PSU vs. Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl.
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: Penn State vs. N.C. State in the Orange Bowl.
Brett McMurphy, Action Network: PSU vs. Mississippi State in the Citrus Bowl.
Bill Bender, Sporting News: Penn State vs. N.C. State in the Orange Bowl.
Richard Johnson, SI: PSU vs. Coastal Carolina in the Cotton Bowl.
Where will the Lions end up?
At the moment, there is almost a consensus that Penn State will play in a New Year’s Six game. But, as noted above, which postseason spot it ends up with depends immensely on how the next three weeks go. After battling the Wolverines, the Lions host Minnesota for the White Out game and then Ohio State. That kick time has not yet been set. But, the former contest will air at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Penn State is deserving of its top-10 billing at this point in time. However, it’s now time to earn both that spot and possibly one higher in the polls. The first College Football Playoff rankings, which help determine the bowl matchups, will be released Tues., Nov. 1. The Lions will learn then where they truly stand. And, fittingly, it comes after the upcoming trio of season-shaping games.
Top 10
- 1
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 2
Dan Lanning
Oregon coach getting NFL buzz
- 3Trending
UK upsets Duke
Mark Pope leads Kentucky to first Champions Classic win since 2019
- 4Hot
5-star flip
Ole Miss flips Alabama WR commit Caleb Cunningham
- 5
Second CFP Top 25
Newest CFP rankings are out
“It’s going to be a big test for us,” Michigan linebacker Junior Colson told MLive. “A testament to some of the hard work. Different things show up in those kinds of situations, and we’ve got to be ready for ‘em. And I think we are.”
Added Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh:
“Big, big, big game. If anybody was watching football yesterday on television, the pro games — it seems like every commercial break there was an advertisement for the Michigan-Penn State game.”
The college football world will certainly be watching. FOX will air the game at Noon ET from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
