Penn State Football finished off the regular season 10-2, after a 42-0 blowout of Michigan State at Ford Field Friday. Now, with conference championship week between the Nittany Lions and selection Sunday, Penn State awaits its bowl fate.
Here’s where major outlets predict Penn State Football will be going Bowling
247Sports: Peach Bowl vs. Tulane
Our Take: 247Sports sticks with its prediction from last week, matching up Penn State and Tulane in the Peach Bowl.
The Nittany Lions have never played in the Peach Bowl, and last matched up in the postseason with the highest ranked Group of 5 champion in 2019, beating Memphis 53-39.
CBS Sports: Peach Bowl vs. Missouri
Our Take: CBS Sports also sticks with the pick of Penn State vs Missouri in the Peach Bowl following the final week of the regular season.
Penn State Football and Missouri have faced off four times, with Penn State winning three of four matchups, including the past two in 1970 and 1980.
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On3 Sports: Outside of NY6
Andy Staples of On3 Sports did not project every bowl game, however, he did push Penn State out of the New Year’s 6 Bowls in favor of Ole Miss and Oklahoma.
In discussing Penn State dropping out of the New Year’s 6 Bowls, Staples suggested “The current CFP rankings would suggest [the New Year’s 6 at large spots] go to Missouri and Penn State, but I’m betting the committee seriously re-evaluates these teams’ resumes either this week or next.”
Staples, along with other media members including Dan Mullen, have taken to social media this week to discredit Penn State’s resume in favor of Oklahoma, despite the fact that Penn State has a higher strength of schedule, strength of record, and game control than Oklahoma.
Tuesday will be telling on whether Penn State stays ahead of Oklahoma and Ole Miss for one of the final New Year’s 6 Bowl slots.
Action Network: Peach Bowl vs. Tulane
Brett McMurphy of Action Network also stuck with his prediction from last week, Penn State vs. Tulane in the Peach Bowl. Penn State has faced Tulane once in program history, a 9-6 victory in 1979.
ESPN: Bonagura: Cotton vs. Texas; Schlabach: Fiesta vs. Washington
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura changed his prediction this week, but still has the Nittany Lions heading to a New Year’s 6 Bowl. Instead of heading to the Fiesta Bowl, this week Bonagura has Penn State playing Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Penn State has faced Texas 5 times in its history, winning 3 matchups including the latest matchup in 1997.
Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings will be key for Penn State’s New Year’s 6 Bowl chances. If the Committee moves Oklahoma or Ole Miss ahead of Penn State (as Staples suggested above) then Penn State may be headed to the Citrus Bowl for the first time since 2018.
Penn State fans also should be watching conference championships this weekend, as a win by Iowa or Oklahoma State would likely push Penn State out of a New Year’s 6 Bowl.
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Education: Saint Vincent College, Penn State Law School
Location: Washington, DC
Experience:Robert Casturo has covered Penn State football for NittanyCentral since 2022. Casturo previously covered Penn State football through a social media presence (@PSU_FB_Thoughts on X) since 2019. Casturo earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 2015, where he was a punter for 1 season on the Saint Vincent College football team and worked in the athletic department for 2 years as a student manager. Casturo earned his JD from Penn State Law in 2018 where he was a senior editor of the Penn State Law Review.
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