Penn State closes out the regular season at 7-5 on the year with all five losses looking like they could have been wins at some point during the game. A strange year for the Nittany Lions still means a bowl game, and at this point it’s looking like a trip to either Nashville or Vegas – which in all honesty is not the worse outcome for a team that could use a fun vacation. Nashville means James Franklin is back in his old stomping grounds. Vegas means everyone is in Vegas, and that’s not a bad thing.
Here are a handful of bowl projections from around the web.
Sporting News: Music City Bowl against Texas A&M, 3 p.m. EST, Dec. 30
It appears to be down to Nashville or Vegas this postseason for Penn State and simply a matter of who the Nittany Lions are going to play. Texas A&M would be an interesting opponent – maybe the most interesting of the bunch – and would put James Franklin up against Jimbo Fisher on the sidelines. That alone would mean two of the highest paid coaches in sport facing off in a game that only sort of matters, but hey storylines. Game would also give Penn State its second SEC opponent of the year. The Aggies knocked off Alabama earlier this year, a rare feather in the cap these days.
USA Today: Music City Bowl against Tennessee
It has been a fairly unremarkable season for the Volunteers but you could do a lot worse than facing an SEC team in the postseason. Tennessee almost beat Ole Miss but got blown out by Alabama and Georgia along the way. This is the least interesting of the two probable SEC choices but a trip to Nashville is a trip to Nashville. Glass half full. Plus it’s not like Penn State’s season has Tennessee fans foaming at the mouth either.
The Athletic: Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. EST, Dec. 30
Arizona State has been one of the longest standing participants in this weekly bowl projection post and that hasn’t changed after the conclusion of the regular season. ASU is coming off a win over Arizona this past weekend to improve to 8-4 on the year. The Sun Devils were solid in 2021 and in just about every game they played. Herm Edwards brings some name recognition to this game on the sidelines. And hey, you could do worse than visiting Vegas in December. Bring on the strip.
Action Network: Las Vegas Bowl against UCLA
Another west coast matchup against a west coast team, if you’re going to Vegas you may as well face a team from not too far away. This game is honestly a lot more about location and the brand new stadium than it really is whoever Penn State ends up playing if it heads to Vegas. All the same, UCLA is a fun opponent and a change of pace from some of the teams the Nittany Lions are used to seeing.
247 Network: Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State
Hey, it’s Arizona State again. Former Penn State tight end Adam Brenneman was placed on administrate leave due to “NCAA things” back in July, but he would be lurking around somewhere, even if it is his couch.
