Penn State sits at 7-2 on the year with a straightforward path to 10-wins in the regular season for the first time since 2019. The Nittany Lions could find themselves traveling to all sorts of places this postseason – all of them thankfully warm. So here’s the latest look at Penn State’s postseason projections as the regular season turns into the final stretch of the year.
ESPN: Rose Bowl against Oregon: Easily the sexiest game and matchup on the board right now, Penn State would need some help elsewhere in the Big Ten for this to happen but one final trip to Pasadena before it becomes commonplace with UCLA joining the Big Ten would be a treat. There would be something funny about Penn State’s season being rife with narratives about change and failure and then have the program turn around and make the Rose Bowl. The No. 6 Ducks are 8-1 on the year with ranked meetings against Washington and Utah still on the schedule. This game is a bit of a pipe dream unless Ohio State and Michigan both go to the playoffs but Penn State’s schedule is favorable enough to get that part of the equation done.
CBS and ESPN: Citrus Bowl against Ole Miss: A tried and true member of this list, the Citrus Bowl and Ole Miss continue to be a regular on these posts for nearly the entire season. Lane Kiffin and his team are set to host Alabama this weekend with the Tide coming off a loss to LSU in overtime this past weekend. Nothing would be more weird than Ole Miss winning that game and starting to slide Alabama down into some of these games Penn State could be part of. Time will tell if that holds true, but Ole Miss makes its weekly appearance here as per usual.
247 Network: Citrus Bowl against Florida: The Gators are fun and also fresh off a loss to Georgia two weeks ago. Florida has pretty favorable schedule the rest of the way with South Carolina and Vanderbilt on the docket before Florida State hosts the Gators for that annual clash. Florida has lost a bit of the sex appeal it had with Urban Meyer and company at the helm, but a game deep in Gator territory – The Citrus Bowl just 109 miles from Florida’s campus – would be fun if nothing else.
Action Network: Orange Bowl against North Carolina: Penn State enjoys itself an old coach and Mack Brown – with all due respect – certainly fits that mold. North Carolina has been a tough team under Brown and the No. 15 ranked Tar Heels only have a ranked NC State left on the schedule aside from Wake Forest and Georgia Tech over the next two weeks. North Carolina would be a fun option if Penn State makes a trip to the Orange Bowl and Florida postseason games always seems a bit more fun when both fan bases have to make a trip to get there.
Sports Illustrated: Gator Bowl against South Carolina: The Gator Bowl is a fairly new entrant into Penn State’s postseason picture but diversity in options at least gives everyone more to talk about. South Carolina has been on the wrong end of more than a few big SEC meetings this season but still has a matchup against Tennessee in two weeks that could help turn the tide. The Gamecocks upset of former Penn State quarterback Will Levis and Kentucky is really the marquee moment of the season for South Carolina so far this year but the aforementioned game against Tennessee and a season finale against Clemson could help change that tune.
