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Two weeks into the season sees Penn State paving a possible path to the College Football Playoff. The playoff, which expands to 12 teams from its former four-team format, gives Penn State as good a chance as ever to play for a national championship. According to the latest playoff and bowl projections from USA TODAY, Penn State will indeed be in the playoff mix when the postseason begins. And the playoff fun could continue for a few weeks.
Erick Smith of USA TODAY updated his bowl and College Football Playoff projections and he includes Penn State in the playoff. The Nittany Lions would host Kansas State, from the Big 12, in a first-round matchup in Beaver Stadium. That game would be played on either Dec. 20 or Dec. 21. Smith also has Penn State advancing to the second round of the playoff.
In the quarterfinal round, Penn State would return to the Peach Bowl for a second straight bowl season. In Smith’s projections, Penn State would face projected ACC champion Miami, who would be getting a first-round bye under the playoff format. But Smith thinks Penn State has one more game in them.
Penn State is projected to top Miami in the Peach Bowl in Smith’s updated projections. That would set the stage for a rematch with Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl for the semifinal round on Jan. 10. Unfortunately, this is where Smith sees Penn State’s postseason coming to an end, with Ohio State moving on to face Georgia in the national championship game.
Penn State will be off this week but returns to the field in Week 4 with a home game against Kent State. Penn State will host Kent State for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Big Ten Network on Saturday, Sept. 21.
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Story originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/usa-today-bowl-projections-penn-230926149.html
Author : Nittany Lions Wire
Publish date : 2024-09-10 23:09:26
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