There were bound to be some changes in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings after BYU and Tennessee each lost this past weekend. But the good news for Penn State is there was no cause for changing the outlook for the Nittany Lions after a comfortable road victory at Purdue. And with all three teams ranked ahead of them winning this past weekend, the top four remained unchanged, which means Penn State continues to be in a good position for a possible first-round home game in Beaver Stadium in late December.
Penn State moved up two posts in the selection committee’s rankings last week, moving from no. 6 to no. 4. That is the same ranking Penn State held this week, which was to be expected given the weekend’s results.
The top 12 teams as of Nov. 19
Here is what the top 12 looks like in the third release of the College Football Playoff rankings this season:
- Oregon
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Penn State
- Indiana
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- Miami
- Ole Miss
- Georgia
- Tennessee
- Boise State
One interesting note was the inclusion of Illinois at no. 25 this week. The Nittany Lions topped Illinois earlier in the season, which gives Penn State a top-25 win at the moment.
BYU took a harsh tumble, falling eight spots down to no. 14 this week. Colorado is two spots behind the Cougars as the top two teams in the Big 12 at the moment.
If the season ended today, here are the first-round matchups
- 5. Ohio State vs. 12. BYU (Big 12 leader)
- 6. Penn State vs. 11. Georgia
- 7. Indiana vs. 10. Ole Miss
- 8. Notre Dame vs. 9. Alabama
Three Big Ten teams would get home games in the first round, while three SEC teams would be on the road. Who predicted that as a possibility? Penn State would get a massive test though as they would host Georgia in the current bracket projection. The winner would advance to the quarterfinals to face current ACC leader Miami. Talk about a visit from the ghosts of Penn State national titles past with potential matchups with Georgia and Miami?
Penn State will visit Minnesota this weekend for the final regular season road trip of the year. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
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