Penn State in contention for New Year's Six Bowl following initial College Football Playoff Poll
Penn State still has a month remaining in the college football season, but at 6-2, head coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lions still have an opportunity to make one of the postseason’s best bowls.
On Tuesday evening, the initial College Football Playoff Poll was released with Penn State sitting at No. 15 overall. While losses to Ohio State and Michigan certainly hurt in the eyes of fans, both teams rank among the nation’s best at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively. With both the Buckeyes and Wolverines on course for an undefeated showdown the final week of the season, that should help the Lions continue to rise in the poll as long as they win out.
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With four games remaining in the season and the Lions expected to be a favorite in all four games – PSU is a 14-point favorite against Indiana this weekend – a 10-2 season is still very much in play. Win all four games and there’s a very good chance that the Nittany Lions will find themselves back in a New Year’s Six Bowl for the first time since 2019. Currently the Citrus Bowl is the popular pick among experts, although that’ll change after this week’s poll.
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That’s because Penn State is also ahead of Illinois, who sits at 7-1 currently but is also behind the Lions at No. 16 in the poll. How Bret Bielema and the Illini finish the season could play a role in Penn State’s bowl birth, but the fact that PSU is currently ahead of them is important. A Nov. 19 showdown against Michigan is their toughest remaining game.
The lowest Penn State has ever ranked in the College Football Playoff Poll and still made a New Year’s Six Bowl was No. 14 in 2017. However, that was following back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Michigan State. It was also week two of the poll.
Below is the complete poll following Tuesday night’s announcement.
College Football Playoff Poll – November 1
1) Tennessee
2) Ohio State
3) Georgia
4) Clemson
5) Michigan
6) Alabama
7) TCU
8) Oregon
9) USC
10) LSU
11) Ole Miss
12) UCLA
13) Kansas State
14) Utah
15) Penn State
16) Illinois
17) North Carolina
18) Oklahoma State
19) Tulane
20) Syracuse
21) Wake Forest
22) NC State
23) Oregon State
24) Texas
25) UCF
