Where is Penn State in the 1st College Football Playoff Rankings

The College Football Playoff Committee released its first rankings of the 2024 season on Tuesday and reserved a soft spot for them Penn State. The Nittany Lions entered the opening rankings at No. 6, keeping them on track to host a first-round match at Beaver Stadium in December. And if the first rankings hold, Penn State’s opponent could be Notre Damem, which is 10th in the first rankings.

Penn State (7-1) is among four Big Ten teams in the top 10, joining No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 9 Indiana. The Nittany Lions were three spots ahead of the Hoosiers, who are among only four remaining undefeated teams in the Power 4.

However, it is instructive to note that the playoff rankings and tournament seeds will be different in December. The top four conference champions will receive byes in the first round, and the losing teams of the Big Ten and SEC title games are expected to receive the fifth and sixth playoff seeds. That’s why Penn State is seeded No. 7 for the 12-team tournament, possibly against Notre Dame at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State has been a consistent playoff contender all season, which the first ranking underscored. The Nittany Lions’ only loss was a one-possession decision against No. 2 Ohio State. However, Penn State is without a win over a team currently ranked in the CFP Top 25.

Penn State will not play Oregon or Indiana during the regular season. The Nittany Lions close with four games against Washington, Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland.

“The reality of college football is that everything is still ahead of us,” Penn State coach James Franklin said after the Nittany Lions game. 20-13 loss to the Buckeyes“and we have to do a great job of making the corrections, eliminating the things that were unforced errors that happened today, and then we have to find a way to win at home next week, and everything is still in front of us.”

Penn State has found a sweet spot in the first rankings, although it will be fluid. The Nittany Lions don’t have much of a chance to improve their seeding since they don’t play a ranked team in the final four weeks of the season. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Indiana play Nov. 23 in Columbus.

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