No. 6 Seed Penn State Football’s College Football Playoff Path to a National Championship
After a last-minute loss to the Oregon Ducks in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship, the College Football Playoff committee seeded the Nittany Lions sixth, hosting 11-seed SMU at Beaver Stadium in the first round.
With the playoff field revealed, Penn State’s path to a national championship is clear.
Here is who Penn State Football would face on the path to a National Championship in 2024.
Round 1: SMU
Penn State hosts ACC runner-up SMU in the first round of the college football playoff in Beaver Stadium two weeks from now.
SMU secured the last at-large slot in the 12-team playoff after losing to Clemson on a last second field goal in the ACC championship game. Like the Nittany Lions, SMU is 11-2 on the season, losing to Clemson and Louisville this season.
Round 2: Boise State
If Penn State beats SMU in the first round of the college football playoff, Penn State would face the three-seed Boise State in round 2 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Boise State ranked ninth in the final college football playoff ranking, five spots behind Penn State, but earned the three seed as the third-ranked conference champion. Boise State is 12-1 on the season, with a lone loss to Oregon in non-conference play. Boise State has been led by Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty this season.
Round 3: Georgia, Notre Dame, or Indiana
If the Nittany Lions are able to handle business against SMU and Boise State, Penn State would play one of Georgia, Indiana, and Notre Dame in round 3.
Georgia as the SEC champion has the bye in that portion of the bracket, and will play the winner of Indiana at Notre Dame.
Round 4: National Championship against Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Clemson, or Arizona State
On the other side of the bracket, Oregon and Arizona State have byes.
The Oregon Ducks would play the winner of Tennessee at Ohio State. Arizona State will play the winner of Clemson at Texas. The Nittany Lions would have a tall task against any of these opponents for the Nittany Lions to claim their first unanimous national championship since 1986 and the programs first national championship claim since 1994.
With the final rankings finally revealed, Penn State’s path through the playoffs is clear. With the six seed, Penn State has a favorable path on paper. The Nittany Lions now must take care of business to keep their season alive as long as possible.
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Penn State Football Reporter at NittanyCentral
Robert Shields covers Penn State Football for Nittany Central. As a Penn State graduate, Robert has covered Penn State football since 2019, but had been a fan of the Nittany Lions for well over a decade. During his undergraduate education, Robert was a manager in the athletic department of a division III school, working in various aspects of athletic management at football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and lacrosse games.
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