Penn State suffered a rare losing season in 2020 but had the option to still go to a bowl game if they wanted. They opted to stay home to close out the pandemic-ridden season and hope to return to the bowl festivities in 2021. According to Athlon Sports, Penn State will indeed be back in the bow lineup at the end of the 2021 season.
Athlon Sports released its bowl projections for the 2021 season, and it includes Penn State playing in a New Years Day bowl game. But don’t get too excited just yet. The Athlon Sports projections don’t have the Nittany Lions playing in the College Football Playoff or any of the other New Years Six bowl games. But if you like bloomin’ onions, you’ll be interested in this one.
The bowl projections released by Athlon Sports have Penn State squaring off in the Outback Bowl against the Missouri Tigers. And, as our recent look at Penn State’s all-time results against teams in the SEC shows, Penn State has had some success against the Tigers in bowl games. Penn State hasn’t played Missouri since 1980, so it’s been a long time coming for the Nittany Lions and Tigers to cross paths.
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As for the rest of the Big Ten, here’s how Athlon Sports is lining them up for postseason play:
- Cotton Bowl (College Football Playoff Semifinal): Ohio State vs. Alabama
- Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon
- Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. LSU
- Music City Bowl: Michigan vs. Tennessee
- Pinstripe Bowl: Maryland vs. Virginia
- Las Vegas Bowl: Indiana vs. USC
- RedBox Bowl: Northwestern vs. California
- Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs. Toledo
- Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Nebraska vs. Kansas State
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