Penn State bowl projections entering Week 13
With one game remaining in the regular season, Penn State is trending favorably for a spot in a New Years Six bowl game. And there appear to be two prime bowl destinations in play for the Nittany Lions according to this week’s updated assortment of bowl projections.
There is also a decent mix of potential opponents to look forward to as we come down the final stretch of the college football season. This week’s updated projections have Penn State facing one of the top teams from the SEC, this year’s Group of 5 representative in the New Years Six, or the Pac-12 runner-up.
Penn State’s updated College Football Playoff ranking on Tuesday night keeps Penn State in the running for a possible at-large berth for an open New Years Six spot. The Orange Bowl appears to be out of reach for Penn State at this point, but a trip to Atlanta or Glendale could be on the line this week when Penn State wraps up the regular season in Detroit against Michigan State this Black Friday.
Here is an updated look at Penn State’s current bowl projections entering the final week of the regular season.
247Sports (Brad Crawford): Peach Bowl vs. Tulane
The most popular bowl projection for Penn State right now appears to be the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Brad Crawford of 247Sports is among those sending the Nittany Lions to the game, which would be Penn State’s first time in the Peach Bowl in program history.
The Action Network (Brett McMurphy): Peach Bowl vs. Tulane
Another Peach Bowl projection for Penn State comes from Brett McMurphy of The Action Network. Tulane is the most common bowl opponent projection for the Nittany Lions, as is the case here. The Action Network goes so far to list Penn State as a 12.5-point favorite in the game.
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan): Peach Bowl vs. Missouri
While most of the bowl projections have Penn State being the higher-ranked team, that changes with this Peach Bowl projection from Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports. Lassan has Penn State facing the only 9-2 team currently ranked higher than Penn State, Missouri.
CBSSports.com (Jerry Palm): Peach Bowl vs. Missouri
Here is another Peach Bowl matchup with Missouri. Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has Penn State facing Missouri for the first time since 1980. The only games Missouri has lost this season have come against LSU and Georgia. The Tigers will wrap up their regular season on Friday with a game against Arkansas.
USA TODAY Sports (Erick Smith): Fiesta Bowl vs. Washington
Here is an interesting bowl projection. Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports has Penn State heading to the Fiesta Bowl to face Washington. The Huskies were just moved into the four-team College Football Playoff by the selection committee this week, but Smith is picking Oregon to win the Pac-12 and knock Washington out of the playoff running.
Penn State faced Washington in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl and won 35-28. Washington will join the Big Ten next season, and Washington will visit Penn State in November.
ESPN (Kyle Bonagur and Mark Schlabach): Fiesta Bowl vs. Washington or Oregon
ESPN has two writers making bowl projections, and both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach agree on Penn State’s bowl destination (subscription required). However, they differ on Penn State’s opponent. Bonagura has Penn State facing Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl, which would be the first meeting between the two schools since the 1995 Rose Bowl. Schlabach agrees with USA TODAY Sports’ projection with Penn State facing Washington.
A matchup with Oregon would see Penn State get another crack at Bo Nix, who lost to Penn State two years ago in a regular season game with Auburn in Beaver Stadium. Nix transferred to Oregon in 2022 and has blossomed into one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates.
