Penn State Football Bowl Projections Up In Air Amid Rough Stretch
Penn State tried to play spoiler this weekend against No. 6 Michigan, but after a hard-fought, back-and-forth game, the Nittany Lions were unable to squeak out a win on Saturday.
Now with four losses on the year, Penn State is aiming to right the ship and make the most of the rest of the season. With two games left before the season ends, analysts are split on where they expect the Nittany Lions to end up by the end of December.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports predicts Penn State will travel to New York for the Pinstripe Bowl. Along with Crawford, Mark Schlabach of ESPN and College Football News predict the Nittany Lions will take on the Virginia Cavaliers at Yankee Stadium. Penn State hasn’t played Virginia since 2012, and it would be its first time playing an ACC opponent that is not Pitt since the last time it played in the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College in 2014.
While the Pinstripe Bowl seems like the favorite right now, other analysts say that might not be the case. Like last week, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has the Nittany Lions slated to play in the Music City Bowl against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Kyle Bonagura of ESPN also agrees that a matchup with the Razorbacks is the most likely outcome for the Nittany Lions. Should the prediction come true, this would be the first time Penn State would head to Nashville to play in the Music City Bowl.
Yahoo! and Athlon Sports, meanwhile, have Penn State taking a trip out west for its bowl matchup. They predict the Nittany Lions will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium. A trip to Las Vegas would mark the first time Penn State would play a game in the state of Nevada. It would also be Penn State’s second-ever game against the Sun Devils, as the only other matchup was a 42-30 win for the Nittany Lions in 1977.
While these games may not be as good as a New Year’s Six Bowl game, playing in a bowl game isn’t a guarantee every season. It’s safe to say Penn State’s final two games will play a large role in where the Nittany Lions wind up.
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