Another week, more playoff projections for Penn State Football

Penn State Football stayed at No. 4 in the AP Poll after shutting out Indiana 24-0 on Saturday but that did not stop the College Football Playoff projections from the national media 

Penn State Football moved to 5-0 this season after dismantling Big Ten foe Indiana 24-0, in front of a capacity crowd at Beaver Stadium Saturday night.

The Nittany Lions stayed put at No. 4 in the AP poll, and were jumped by Iowa who sits at No. 3, but as most fans know, that won’t matter all that much as the two are set to square off in a huge battle this weekend in Iowa City.

We have written the last few weeks that the national media, The Athletic in particular has been posting college football playoff and new year’s six bowl projections, and has had Penn State Football reaching the playoffs for weeks now. However this week, James Franklin’s squad has popped up in a few more projections from other notable publications.

247 Sports, ESPN and the Action Network have all joined the Athletic in projecting Penn State Football to break through and be selected to the College Football Playoff, for the first time in program history.

Interestingly enough, all these publications have the Nittany Lions taking on the Georgia Bulldogs, mostly in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas which is the site of Penn State Football’s last bowl appearance, the Cotton Bowl against Memphis.

This week’s test of Iowa will go a long way in helping Penn Stat Football’s playoff resume, but it is certainly noteworthy that a good portion of the national media sees the Nittany Lions as the team to beat in the Big Ten.

Our Prediction

Anyone who has been following along since the start of the season knows my prediction was the Rose Bowl to take on the Ducks from Oregon, and until we see what happens on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, I am going to stick to that.

Even after this 5-0 start and all the playoff love Penn State Football is receiving, a trip to Pasadena would still make this a successful 2021 campaign. However a win in Iowa City could force next week’s edition to join those national publications and project the Nittany Lions into the playoffs.