The beginning of November means we are now entering the final stretch of the regular season in college football, and the chase for division and conference championships are heating up. And, of course, the race for the College Football Playoff is shaping up for a wild finish. While Penn State may not be a player in this year’s playoff hunt after suffering its second loss last weekend, the rankings still matter in the final month as the Nittany Lions are looking to make a run into a New Years Six bowl game.
On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff rankings were released for the first time this season, and Penn State was ranked No. 15 in the initial batch of playoff rankings. That leaves a path open for a possible entry into the top 10 before the end of the season knowing that some teams ranked ahead of Penn State will be taking a few losses between now and the end of the regular season.
And with a spot in the Orange Bowl still a possibility, these rankings will matter a lot. The Cotton Bowl also remains a possibility with a good November.
November 1️⃣ #CFBPlayoff Selection Committee Rankings 🏈🏆
1️⃣1️⃣. Mississippi // @OleMissFB
1️⃣2️⃣. UCLA // @UCLAFootball
1️⃣3️⃣. Kansas State // @KStateFB
1️⃣4️⃣. Utah // @Utah_Football
1️⃣5️⃣. Penn State // @PennStateFball— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) November 1, 2022
Penn State still has its share of work to do to ensure these rankings do matter in the end, because one more hit will wipe a spot in any New Years Six bowl away completely. But a 4-0 November would put a 10-2 Penn State in a pretty good spot to be considered for a New Years Six bowl game, one would think.
Tennessee took the top spot in this week’s first playoff rankings, followed by Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson.
Penn State will look for a rebound this weekend as they head to Indiana.
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