Sitting at 5-3 on the year the Nittany Lions are one win shy from postseason play, but with with Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and Rutgers left on the schedule there are plenty of chances to pick up more wins this season. Penn State heads to College Park this weekend before back-to-back meetings against Michigan and Michigan State at home and on the road respectively.
Even on a three-game losing streak, a seemingly healthy Sean Clifford coupled with Penn State’s stout defense gives the Nittany Lions more than a fair shot at picking up big wins over the final four games of the regular season. With that in mind here are some of the latest bowl projections for Penn State’s eventual postseason appearance.
The Athletic: Outback Bowl (Tampa) vs Kentucky
The chance for Penn State to get a rematch against Kentucky after meeting up in the 2019 Citrus Bowl is still on the table and so is the chance for the Nittany Lions to take on former backup quarterback Will Levis. This wouldn’t be a horrible matchup, but it’s maybe not the most interesting in the grand scheme of things. There are worse things than Tampa in the winter though.
CBS: Pinstripe Bowl (New York) vs Virginia Tech
Would be fitting if James Franklin’s last bowl game at Penn State [if it is] would mirror his first. These teams were slated to meet during the 2020 season but COVID-19 – as per usual – ruined that plan. The Hookies’ 2025 trip to Beaver Stadium was also taken off the books meaning this would be the only meeting between the two programs in the foreseeable future. This isn’t the most interesting location, although the Yankee Stadium was a pretty interesting venue way back when the Nittany Lions beat Boston College in overtime.
247 Network: Vegas Bowl vs Arizona State
A new Big Ten bowl tie-in makes this an interesting game by virtue of facing off against Arizona State in the brand new Allegiant Stadium. Plus who doesn’t want to make a trip to Vegas around the new year? These two programs have only met once before when Penn State won in 1977 so this would be about as new as it gets for the Nittany Lions.
Athlon Sports: Citrus Bowl vs Texas A&M
Back to Orlando for this one and a meeting with Texas A&M for the first time since the Alamo Bowl in 2007. This would be an interesting head coach matchup between James Franklin and Jimbo Fisher, two of the highest paid coaches in the sport. Texas A&M is currently ranked No. 13 in the nation with a win over Alabama earlier this season. The Aggies might continue to rise in the rankings with four more winnable games left on the schedule.
College Football News: Outback Bowl (Tampa) vs Ole Miss
Ole Miss is a fun team, Lane Kiffin is a hilarious coach to watch from a distance, let alone up close. This would give Penn State a second SEC school on the schedule this season and would be an interesting test of offense versus defense for the Rebels who boast the No. 4 total offense in the nation. Bring on the points.
The Action Network: Las Vegas Bowl vs Oregon State
Another trip to Vegas and honestly the Vegas part is what makes this bowl fun. Penn State faced and beat Oregon State back in 2008. The Beavers haven’t done anything overly interesting this year aside from beating USC and Utah while losing to Purdue. Maybe not the flashiest of matchups but that’s not what makes this trip a fun thing to think about.
