Penn State’s regular season is just one game from completion and that means the Nittany Lions’ bowl destination is quickly coming into focus. The good news? It’s going to be warm no matter what.
ESPN, Action Sports Network, 247 Network, CBS Sports: Citrus Bowl vs. Ole Miss
Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff Rankings will be informative when it comes to where Penn State will fall in the pecking order for the New Years Six Bowls, and that pecking order will likely have the Nittany Lions on the outside looking in. Penn State could maybe bounce Tennessee from the Top 10 if the committee cares that starting quarterback Hendon Hooker tore his ACL, but it might reward the Volunteers for a great season overall. Penn State’s best bet at a NY6 bowl is if Ohio State and Michigan both make the playoffs which would open the Rose Bowl door, but time will tell if that shakes out. If that doesn’t happen, USC, Alabama and LSU are still all ahead of Penn State right now so the Nittany Lions will need some help to get over those big names to a NY6 Bowl. Things could work in Penn State’s favor, but it seems more likely than not that the Nittany Lions will be left on the outside looking in.
Anyway… as has become a weekly tradition with these projections, Mississippi continues to be a fun potential opponent, offering a game with two teams that had good years but are left thinking about what could have been. Lane Kiffin is worth the price of admission alone and Ole Miss’ offense is one of the more entertaining in the sport right now. This would be a tough test for Penn State and if the Nittany Lions want to get to 11 wins and have something to show for it in the process it would be hard to argue with this game doing exactly that.
Sports Illustrated: Orange Bowl vs. Clemson
The Orange Bowl seems to be slipping out of Penn State’s grasp given a lot of the variables noted above, but if the Nittany Lions have a few things go their way you could do a lot worse than taking on Clemson in Miami. The Tigers have South Carolina up next before taking on UNC in the ACC title game and that clash against the Gamecocks could be interesting after watching South Carolina dismantle Tennessee this past weekend. Then again, maybe they’ve got nothing left in the tank.
