Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State is in pretty good position to get a Rose Bowl bid. The Nittany Lions would like to see Ohio State beat Michigan, since the Wolverines would have a better resume, even though Penn State won the head-to-head matchup. The one obstacle could be Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have a slightly weaker resume, but they did beat Penn State. Wisconsin beating Minnesota would possibly take care of that, as would an Ohio State blowout of Minnesota. Basically, Penn State needs to see Minnesota lose a game by a decent margin. (If we get some chaos that leads to both Minnesota and Ohio State reaching the CFP, then Penn State would be a lock for the Rose Bowl as well.)
If Minnesota goes to the Rose Bowl, then the Nittany Lions will likely need a drop of help to get an NY6 bid. If the SEC only gets on Playoff team, then Georgia or Alabama will get a Sugar Bowl bid, and the next will appear in the Orange Bowl. After that, Florida currently holds the Cotton Bowl spot. So Penn State should have a decent look at the Cotton Bowl if either the SEC gets two Playoff teams or if Florida State beats Florida. Other than that, Penn State might stay behind a Utah team that loses to Auburn in the Pac 12 Championship Game, so Utah winning two more games would help.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Other than hoping that Rutgers beats Penn State, Minnesota’s position really is a simple one. Win out and make the Playoff. Lose a game and keep it close, and the Rose Bowl is a toss-up.
The one thing that Minnesota really doesn’t want to see is Michigan beat Ohio State. If that happens, the Wolverines would almost certainly be ranked above Minnesota and poach that Rose Bowl bid. Other than that, Minnesota just has to beat Wisconsin and not get blown out by Ohio State to guarantee a Rose Bowl bid.
If the Gophers do get blown out and fall behind Penn State, they should still reach the Citrus Bowl. If they end up behind both Penn State and Wisconsin, the Outback Bowl is still a strong result by Minnesota standards, though it will be disappointing after where this season was a few weeks ago.