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Penn State postseason projections: Where do the Lions stand entering Week 2?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•09/03/24•

GregPickel

drew-allar-penn-state-football-on3
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar. (Credit: Steve Manuel | Blue White Illustrated)

Penn State football now has the sixth-best odds to make the College Football Playoff. Before the season started, head coach James Franklin’s team was -140 to be a part of the inaugural 12-team postseason tournament. After beating West Virginia 34-12 on Saturday in Morgantown, its odds now sit at -210.

“We’re gonna watch this tape,” Franklin said on Saturday night. “There’s gonna be a ton of stuff that we didn’t like, and that we need to get cleaned up. But we were able to come on the road in a very, very tough environment and get a win against a team that I think is really, I don’t know what the right word is, under-ranked, or whatever it is. I think that’s a good football team. I think they’re going to end up having a really good year. So we’re appreciative of coming out of here with a W.”

Here’s a look at the latest postseason projections entering Week 2.

Penn State postseason projections before Week 2

ESPN has a couple of different projections for the Nittany Lions. Mark Schlabach has them facing Oregon in a first-round matchup College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium. Kyle Bonagura, meanwhile, has the Lions outside of the top 12. He slots them to play Tennessee in the Cheez-It Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

At The Action Network, longtime college football reporter Brett McMurphy has the Nittany Lions in the Playoff. He slots them at No. 7 and has them hosting Big Ten foe USC in the first round. For On3, national college football writer Andy Staples has Penn State at No. 9, which would send them on the road in the first round to No. 8 Ole Miss.

“The Nittany Lions controlled West Virginia’s offense, which we expected,” Staples writes. “But we didn’t know how the offense would look in new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s first game. It looked — dare we say it — explosive against a decent opponent. Can it stay that way?”

For The Athletic, Austin Mock gives the Lions a 74 percent chance to make the Playoff and a 36 percent chance to host a first round Playoff game. His most likely bracket has them at No. 7 opposite No. 10 Kansas State at Beaver Stadium in Round 1.

Bill Bender of The Sporting News has Penn State on the road in Round 1. He sends it to Alabama in an No. 11 vs. No. 6 matchup

“This would be an all-time uniform game,” Bender writes. “Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (98.7) and Penn State’s Drew Allar (98.3) ranked Nos. 1-2 in QBR after Week 1. This is the quarterback matchup you didn’t know you needed – and there is more than enough postseason history between these teams.”

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