Penn State Football moved up one spot this week in the College Football Playoff rankings to No. 14, after Kansas State (13) lost last week to Texas.

The Nittany Lions will face Maryland this week and look to continue climbing the rankings and reach a New Year’s Six bowl game.  

Notable rankings

Georgia took the No. 1 spot this week with their dominant 27-13 win over Tennessee who fell to No. 5.

Ohio State and Michigan sit at No. 2 and No. 3 a few weeks ahead of their big-time clash. TCU jumped 3 spots this week to round off the top 4.

Meanwhile, Oregon moved up two spots to No. 6 and seem to be in a prime position to make the playoffs despite their opening 46-point loss to Georgia. LSU moved up to No. 7 and Alabama dropped to No. 9 after their thriller overtime game this past weekend.

Rounding out the top 10 is Clemson who lost by 3 touchdowns to Notre Dame falling 6 spots. Other big movers in the poll were NC State moving up 6 spots to No. 16 and Texas moving up 6 spots to No. 18.

Four new teams entered the poll this week with #20 Notre Dame, #23 Florida State, #24 Kentucky, and No. 25 Washington.

<< BUY PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS GEAR >>

What will it take for Penn State Football to move up in the poll?

Penn State Football continues to be on the path to reaching a New Year’s Six Bowl as long as they finish in the Top 11.

That will most assuredly take a 10-2 record and the biggest challenge over the next 3 games probably comes against the 6-3 Maryland Terrapins. With more top 10 matchups on the horizon, winning the last 3 games is a clear path for reaching a potential Orange or Rose Bowl.  

Week 11 Key Matchups:

No. 9 Alabama @ No. 11 Ole Miss           3:30pm/CBS

This is one of the key matchups for determining the winner of the SEC west division. Ole Miss only has 1 loss in conference and if they can upset Alabama and have LSU stumble, they would be the representatives in Atlanta.

Alabama has 2 losses before the Iron Bowl for the first time since 2010 and has much of the media asking if the Nick Saban dominance is over. Penn State fans Football will want to root for a blowout in one direction or the other so that the loser drops below the Nittany Lions. Alabama enters as a 12-point road favorite.

No. 22 UCF @ No. 17 Tulane                3:30pm/ESPN2

This will be a critical game in determining the race for the AAC championship.

More importantly, these are the two highest ranked teams in the Group of five. The highest ranked group of five teams will earn a berth to a NY6 bowl so it is quite possible that the winner of this game could be on the fast track to that opportunity. Tulane opens as a 2-point home favorite.

No. 25 Washington @ No. 6 Oregon                7:00pm/FOX

The Ducks have been garnering more and more respect in the rankings and are now just two spots out of the playoff despite that 46 point loss to Georgia in week 1.

Washington enters the CFP rankings for the first time this season and are 7-2 on the season. Oregon will look to continue making statement wins to improve their resume and beating a solid ranked Washington squad could help do that. Oregon opens as a 13.5-point home favorite.

No. 4 TCU @ No. 18 Texas                   7:30pm/ABC

The Horned Frogs have finally earned the respect of the playoff committee and cracked the Top 4. That will immediately be put to the test as they will have to travel to Austin against an improving Texas team.

If TCU can find a way to beat the Longhorns, they will solidify themselves as true CFP contenders. Texas opens as a 7-point home favorite. 

A note to our readers; If you make a purchase through one of our affiliate links, we may receive a commission