Penn State stays at No. 4 in College Football Playoff rankings. What it means for the Nittany Lions
Penn State held steady at No. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings that came out Tuesday night, while also remaining at the No. 6 seed in the bracket.
Here’s what the latest rankings mean for the Nittany Lions.
Big Ten title appearance comes down to Michigan
Saturday’s results have solidified Penn State’s path to a Big Ten title game appearance. The Nittany Lions must beat Maryland and the Ohio State Buckeyes must lose to Michigan. That would put Penn State in Indianapolis on Dec. 7 to take on the Oregon Ducks with a conference championship and first round bye in the College Football Playoff on the line. The likelihood is not high that the Wolverines earn the upset, but rivalry games have a tendency to be unconventional and there isn’t a bigger rivalry in college football than The Game. While some have posited not making the conference title game is better than doing so and losing — largely because of fear it would drop PSU in the CFP rankings — there is no other way to earn a bye in the playoff. And with a long regular season nearly in the rearview mirror, an extra 10 days of preparation could help the Nittany Lions make a run to the national title game.
One win away from a first round home game
Penn State has cemented itself as a host in the first round — assuming the Wolverines fall to the Buckeyes on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are highly unlikely to fall outside of the No. 5-8 range in the bracket because the teams below that area are No. 9 Tennessee, No. 10 SMU and No. 11 Indiana, all teams who don’t have remaining opponents to move ahead of the Nittany Lions — especially because all three would have to do so to drop PSU to a road game. Barring a complete change of heart by the College Football Playoff selection committee, Penn State should be near its seeding floor.
The only question that remains is about the quality of opponent that could be awaiting the Nittany Lions in the first round. Several SEC teams fell in the rankings after earning third losses over the weekend, creating a significant shift in the part of the rankings — roughly from No. 9 to No. 14 — where Penn State’s opponent will likely come from. And there could be an even greater shift with several rivalry games on tap for this weekend and conference title games the week after.
Nittany Lions could benefit from status quo
If things hold, the group of opponents that Penn State could face are all beatable. Teams like Tennessee, SMU and Indiana are currently well within range to travel to Happy Valley, which could be a welcome sight compared to the likes of Georgia or Notre Dame. That being said, it could all change if things get shaken up this week and during conference title week.
A Georgia SEC title game loss likely drops it a few spots, as would a Notre Dame defeat at the hands of USC. An SMU ACC title win over Miami — who the Mustangs would play if the Hurricanes defeat Syracuse this weekend — would likely flip those two teams, putting Miami in Penn State’s opponent range. Those three teams, while still beatable, are much less favorable first round matchups for the Nittany Lions. There is a long way to go until things are finalized, but Penn State would greatly benefit from things staying the same over the final two weeks of the season.
Here are the latest CFP rankings and projected matchups, in full.
First round
No. 5 seed Ohio State vs. No. 12 seed Arizona State
No. 6 seed Penn State vs. No. 11 seed Indiana
No. 7 seed Notre Dame vs. No. 10 seed SMU
No. 8 seed Georgia vs. No. 9 seed Tennessee
Byes: No. 1 seed Oregon, No. 2 seed Texas, No. 3 seed Miami, No. 4 seed Boise State
College Football Playoff rankings
(Nov. 26, 2024)
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame
6. Miami
7. Georgia
8. Tennessee
9. SMU
10. Indiana
11. Boise State
12. Clemson
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss
15. South Carolina
16. Arizona State
17. Tulane
18. Iowa State
19. BYU
20. Texas A&M
21. Missouri
22. UNLV
23. Illinois
24. Kansas State
25. Colorado
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 8:57 PM.
