Oregon’s collapse could help Penn State get into the NY6
Not everything went smoothly for Penn State in its regular-season finale against Michigan State, but a 35-16 victory to close out the season for a 10-win season was needed to keep hopes of playing in a New Years Six bowl game alive. The possibility of playing in the Rose Bowl took a bit of a blow with Michigan‘s dominating win over Ohio State, although the scenario could still be in play for two Big Ten teams going to the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten’s spot in Pasadena remaining Penn State’s for the taking.
But the chances of playing in a New Years Six bowl may have been given a little bit more life on Saturday out on the west coast. As Penn State was finding a way to put Michigan State away, the Oregon Ducks coughed up a 31-10 lead to lose to in-state rival Oregon State 38-34. With Oregon ranked No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, and Penn State at No. 11, a loss by the Ducks will likely help Penn State move into the top 10 this week. And that puts them in a favorable spot to be selected for a New Years Six bowl game.
You know what else helps? Clemson losing.
Clemson lost its rivalry game at home to South Carolina, 31-30. The Tigers came into the week ranked No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, three spots ahead of the Nittany Lions. With two losses on the year, one to Notre Dame and the other to South Carolina, but three wins over teams that were ranked at the time, it will be interesting to see how far Clemson falls as respect for the Gamecocks is going to skyrocket after back-to-back wins against Tennessee and Clemson.
But in reality, Clemson’s ranking likely means nothing for Penn State’s bowl outlook. The biggest obstacle was keeping Clemson out of the playoff, which it is now. And no matter what the rankings look like, if Clemson wins next weekend’s ACC championship game against North Carolina, the Tigers would be locked into the Orange Bowl with the ACC’s tie-in. But this removes Clemson from being a hurdle as an at-large.
Penn State going to the Cotton Bowl certainly got a bit of momentum in Week 13 before the primetime games kicked off. But for now, Penn State has done all it can do at this point. All it can do now is sit back and wait to see how everything else unfolds.
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Inside the box score: Key stats from Penn State's win over Michigan State
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