Penn State postseason projections: Where do the Lions stand in the CFP bracket before USC?
The midway point of the 2024 college football season is approaching quickly. In less than 30 days, the first College Football Playoff committee rankings will come out. Those will give us the first indication of who’s in, who’s out, who has work to do, and who could get a bye, host a first-round contest, and so on. Until then, numerous m media members are posting their own projections. Where does Penn State stand in them ahead of a trip to USC on Saturday? We have a full roundup below.
Penn State postseason projections before Week 7
We start with projections from On3 national writers Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman. The former has Penn State at No. 6 and hosting No. 11 Texas A&M in the first round. The latter has the Lions at No. 7 and has them facing No. 10 Miami at Beaver Stadium in the opening round.
At CBS Sports, longtime football and basketball bracket expert Jerry Palm has the Nittany Lions going on the road in Round 1. He has them as the No. 9 seed and sends them to No. 8 Iowa State for a game that would be played either Dec. 20 or Dec. 21 in Ames.
For The Sporting News, Bill Bender projects Penn State to host Alabama in a. No. 7 vs. No. 10 matchup at Beaver Stadium.
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“Penn State is the third Big Ten team, and imagine the setting at Beaver Stadium if the Nittany Lions get Alabama in the first round,” Bender writes. “The Crimson Tide slide from No. 1 to a road playoff game, but that 41-34 victory against Georgia remains the marquee victory of the season despite the shocking loss to Vanderbilt.”
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Multiple predictions are also in from ESPN. Heather Dinich has the Lions at No. 8 and hosting No. 9 Oregon. The Big Ten teams will not meet during the regular season. Her colleague Kyle Bonaguara projects No. 11 Boise State at No. 6 Penn State. And, Mark Schlabach has No. 10 Tennessee at No. 7 Penn State. Both have the Lions advancing to the quarterfinals. Only Schlabach has them making the semifinal. He has head coach James Franklin’s run ending there, though, at the hands of Ohio State.
“Big Ten opponents Oregon and Penn State don’t play each other during the regular season, although they could meet in the conference championship game,” Dinich writes. “(If that happens, though, one of them would replace Ohio State above in the top four seeds and earn a first-round bye.) In this scenario, Penn State is the projected Big Ten runner-up. Note the importance of the seeding — and home field advantage — as the winner will face the best team in the country.”
Last but not least, Brett McMurphy of The Action Network also has Penn State hosting a first round contest. He has the Lions at No. 6 and hosting No. 11 LSU in Round 1. He also has them advancing to the semifinals before losing to the Buckeyes, as well.
