Penn State Football: Bowl Projections Still All Over The Place

Penn State dropped its best chance to prove they can compete with the triple-headed giants battling for Big Ten East supremacy on Saturday when the Nittany Lions fell to No.12 Michigan 28-16 in Beaver Stadium. That loss, however, was not hard all that surprising given the play of Penn State (7-4, 4-3 B1G) this season, dropping its other two games against ranked opponents (No. 22 Northwestern and No. 3 Ohio State).

A signature win has been elusive so far under James Franklin but the Nittany Lions have shown life in tough games as of late, albeit briefly and in vain. Against Michigan and Ohio State, Penn State entered the fourth quarter trailing 21-10, a tough, but feasible hole to climb from given the Nittany Lions’ proven explosiveness. A last second comeback drive from Northwestern with star defensive end Carl Nassib on the sidelines allowed a game-winning field goal in the waning seconds. Penn State has been close, but the gap between James Franklin’s team and the rest of the Big Ten is still sizable.

With one game left against No. 9 Michigan State, which just beat Ohio State, the Nittany Lions’ bowl projections are still all over the place, but one things clear: Penn State will be underdogs there, too.

ESPN 

McMurphy: Foster Farms Bowl

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Saturday, Dec. 26, 9:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Penn State versus No. 13 Utah

Schlabach: TaxSlayer Bowl

EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Saturday, Jan. 2, noon (ESPN)

Penn State versus Arkansas

— SB Nation projects Penn State in this game, with a matchup against LSU.

CBSSports.com

Jerry Palm: Music City Bowl

Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Wednesday, Dec. 30, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

Penn State versus No. 22 Ole Miss