College Football Playoff is expanding from its original four-team format to a full 12-team format beginning with the revolutionary 2024 college football season. With the addition of eight playoff spots, this season should be the best chance Penn State has had to reach the College Football Playoff yet, and the possibility of hosting a first-round playoff game is entirely possible.
According to some mid-summer bowl projections from 247Sports, Penn State fans should begin thinking about making plans for a home playoff game in Beaver Stadium this season. Brad Crawford of 247Sports shared his updated bowl projections and College Football Playoff picks, and it includes Penn State hosting a first-round matchup in Happy Valley.
Crawford is projecting Penn State to be the no. 8 seed in his playoff and bowl projections, which would give the Nittany Lions the home-field advantage in a first-round matchup in the new College Football Playoff format. Penn State would host the no. 9 seed, which in Crawford’s projections will be SEC powerhouse Alabama.
A Penn State vs. Alabama playoff game would be a ratings bonanza, and the chance to see a Beaver Stadium whiteout crowd for such a matchup is exactly what the College Football Playoff would hope to see in the expanded setup.
Unfortunately for Penn State fans, Crawford sees Penn State going one-and-done, with a loss to the Crimson Tide in the first-round matchup. Crawford predicts Alabama will get out of Happy Valley with a victory to advance to the next round against Big Ten favorite Ohio State in the second round in the Sugar Bowl. Ohio State is Crawford’s no. 1 seed.
Crawford has just three Big Ten teams in his current playoff projections. Joining Ohio State and Penn State would be Big Ten newcomer Oregon, as the no. 5 seed. Oregon would host Liberty in a first-round matchup and advance to the Fiesta Bowl to face Kansas State. Crawford then predicts an Ohio State vs. Oregon matchup in the semifinals in the Orange Bowl with Ohio State moving on to the national championship game to face Georgia.
There is a lot of pressure on James Franklin and Penn State to get into the College Football Playoff as this is a year and a format that is setup perfectly for Penn State to get in. But losing the first-round game at home would be a bummer, even if it against a program like Alabama.
But who wouldn’t want to see a College Football Playoff whiteout?
See all of the bowl projections and College Football Playoff picks from 247Sports.
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