No. 9 Penn State football got back to winning ways after taking down Indiana 34-27 at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

On its own, the end result of the Nittany Lions’ most recent outing doesn’t impact their chances of qualifying for certain bowls too much. However, other results around the Big Ten — including Iowa’s 23-19 victory over the previously-unbeaten Minnesota Golden Gophers — did give Penn State’s chances of playing in this year’s Rose Bowl a boost.

With that in mind, here are the team’s updated best- and worst-case postseason scenarios along with the most realistic.

Best-Case Scenario: College Football Playoff

Penn State’s upcoming game against No. 2 Ohio State will all but determine its postseason fate.

If James Franklin’s program can escape the Shoe with a victory, Penn State is on the fast track to play for a Big Ten title and qualify for the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions would likely nail down the Big Ten East with a victory over Rutgers on November 30, but the Big Ten West is still wide open following Saturday’s round of games.

Iowa maintained its slim chances of winning the Big Ten West after taking down Minnesota at Kinnick Stadium. The Golden Gophers are still the odds-on favorite to secure the Big Ten West title, but as many as three other teams — the Hawkeyes, No. 14 Wisconsin, and even Illinois — can still win the division. Minnesota will travel to Madison for its annual rivalry match with the Badgers to cap off the regular season, and that game will go a long way toward deciding who wins the West.

If Penn State goes 1-0 every week for the next three weeks, the team will effectively punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff.

Worst-Case Scenario: Outside The New Year’s Six

Regardless of the final score, losing to Ohio State this weekend effectively eliminates Penn State from contention for a national championship. In the team’s worst-case scenario, however, the Buckeyes absolutely wipe the floor with the Nittany Lions.

The spread for Saturday’s top-10 match-up currently features Ohio State as an 18-point favorite. If Ryan Day’s side covers comfortably (read: wins by 30-40 points), Penn State may tumble far enough in the College Football Playoff rankings to knock itself out of the New Year’s Six conversation. It’s unlikely that a 10-win team would be kept out of the New Year’s Six, but Minnesota and Wisconsin may take the Big Ten’s designated spots and leave Penn State on the outside looking in.

If Penn State does miss out on the New Year’s Six, the team’s possible bowl destinations include the Outback and Holiday Bowls. Penn State can’t play in the Citrus, TaxSlayer, or Pinstripe Bowls this year because the team appeared in those within the last five seasons.

Most Realistic Scenario: New Year’s Six Bowl

As it stands right now, Penn State is the third-highest ranked Big Ten team in the College Football Playoff’s rankings. That’ll change at 7 p.m. Tuesday, however, after Minnesota’s defeat to Iowa.

Right now, Penn State has a strong shot at making a New Year’s Six bowl. If they lose this weekend and Minnesota loses to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game, the Nittany Lions’ ability to secure a Rose Bowl bid would likely hinge on which side played Ohio State closer. Both teams would have two losses with one to Big Ten champion Ohio State and the other on the road to a ranked team.

As long as it isn’t completely obliterated against the Buckeyes, the team that doesn’t make the Rose Bowl could still settle for one of the other New Year’s Six bowls. The Orange Bowl will be played between an ACC team and one squad from the Big Ten or SEC or Notre Dame. Elsewhere, the Cotton Bowl will take place between two at-large sides, which could come from any conference.

If Wisconsin beats Minnesota in the final game of the season, but loses in Indy to Ohio State, that would actually boost Penn State’s chances of qualifying for the Granddaddy of Them All as the Badgers would have a 10-3 record.

In my opinion, this is the Big Ten’s most realistic postseason scenario:

• Ohio State wins out and goes to College Football Playoff.
• Penn State finishes 1-1 and goes to the Orange or Cotton Bowl.
• Minnesota wins out in the regular season, loses to Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game but by fewer points than Penn State, and goes to the Rose Bowl.