Penn State remains in position to host a first-round home College Football Playoff game according to the latest College Football Playoff rankings, and it could set up a Big Ten opponent making its way to Beaver Stadium.
Penn State is ranked no. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, which were updated on Tuesday evening. It is the same ranking Penn State has been hold on to the past few weeks. Penn State managed to stay one spot ahead of Notre Dame after a close call at Minnesota and with the Irish dominating Army this past weekend.
Given the current rankings, it seems highly likely that Penn State will be hosting a first-round game in the College Football Playoff. The current seeds would slot Penn State at the no. 6 seed after reserving the top four seeds for conference champions. The current projections would pair Penn State up with no. 11 seed Indiana (who ranks no. 10 in the selection committee’s rankings this week after losing its first game to Ohio State).
Here is how the College Football Playoff bracket would look based on these rankings:
- 5. Ohio State vs. 12. Arizona State (Big 12 champion; winner plays no. 4 Boise State)
- 6. Penn State vs. 11. Indiana (winner plays no. 3 Miami)
- 7. Notre Dame vs. 10. SMU (winner plays no. 2 Texas)
- 8. Georgia vs. 9. Tennessee (winner plays no. 1 Oregon)
Penn State will close out the regular season at home this weekend against Maryland. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Penn State does have a shot to play for the Big Ten championship going into the final weekend of the season. If Ohio State is upset by Michigan, then a Penn State win over Maryland would send the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten championship game to face Oregon. While the possibility of a top-four seed and first-round bye would be enticing, Penn State getting a home playoff game is pretty valuable for the program as well.