Where Penn State Lands in the Latest College Football Bowl Projections

The Nittany Lions face Rutgers in their regular-season finale needing a win to become bowl eligible.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) celebrates with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Turns out, Penn State gets a playoff game this season after all. But in its own way, as interim head coach Terry Smith said Monday.

The Nittany Lions visit Rutgers on Saturday for what we might call the Bowl Eligibowl. Both teams are 5-6. The winner becomes bowl eligible and earns a chance to play in Detroit, Phoenix, Nashville or even Yankee Stadium.

So while Smith answers question about his candidacy to become Penn State's permanent head coach, he's also positioning the Nittany Lions for a bowl game. The Nittany Lions have missed the postseason just once since 2004 for being under .500, and that was the 2020 COVID season. As a result, Smith has considered the Nittany Lions to be in playoff mode for a while.

"My focus right now is obviously, we have to beat Rutgers," Smith said. "We approached these last couple weeks as do-or-die, playoff-type games, And this is another playoff game for us in our own reality of our world."

So which bowl game favors Penn State if it beats Rutgers? The primary options appear to be the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 in Detroit or the Dec. 27 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Dec. 30 Music City Bowl in Nashville is a possibility as well.

RELATED: Has Penn State's coaching search zeroed in on a candidate?

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Andrew Rappleyea (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The 2025 Big Ten bowl schedule

The Big Ten has contracts with seven bowl games, all of which will be played before New Year's Day.

Game	Time/Date	Location	Teams
GameAbove Sports Bowl	1 p.m. Dec. 26	Ford Field, Detroit	Big Ten vs. MAC
Rate Bowl	4:30 p.m. Dec. 26	Chase Field, Phoenix	Big Ten vs. Big 12
Pinstripe Bowl	Noon Dec. 27	Yankee Stadium	Big Ten vs. ACC
Music City Bowl	5:30 p.m. Dec. 30	Nissan Stadium, Nashville	Big Ten vs. SEC
ReliaQuest Bowl	Noon Dec. 31	Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.	Big Ten vs. SEC
Citrus Bowl	3 p.m. Dec. 31	Camping World Stadium, Orlando	Big Ten vs. SEC
Las Vegas Bowl	3:30 p.m. Dec. 31	Allegiant Stadium	Big Ten vs. former Pac-12

Unfortunately, this year's Big Ten's tie-in games do not include the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, which pairs teams from the SEC vs. ACC. Nor does they include the always fun Pop-Tarts Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 27 in Orlando and featuring teams from the ACC and Big 12.

Penn State's bowl projections

A general view of the trophy after the 2018 Pinstripe Bowl between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Miami Hurricanes at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Penn State's 37-10 win over Nebraska moved it up the list regarding bowl projections. Penn State is now a solid contender for several bowl games, including one that might seem out of reach.

Sports Illustrated welcomes Penn State "back to the postseason picture" with a projected matchup with Pitt in the Pinstripe Bowl. The Athletic suggests a Pitt-Penn State matchup at Yankee Stadium, as does Brett McMurphy of On3.

Penn State played there once, in 2014, when James Franklin was a first-year head coach and the program had emerged from two seasons of bowl sanctions. The Nittany Lions beat Boston College 31-30 in overtime. A neutral-site bowl game vs. Pitt would be a fascinating place to determine who values the rivalry more.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura both project Penn State to the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 in Detroit. Schlabach has Penn State playing Ohio, and Bonagura picks at Penn State-Western Michigan game.

Brad Crawford of CBS Sports also predicts that Penn State will face Ohio at Ford Field. Count Athlon Sports in the Penn State-Ohio camp for Detroit as well.

One game missing from the projections is the Music City Bowl. Penn State has never played there, and an SEC matchup in Nashville might energize the Nittany Lions fan base more than a trip to Detroit vs. a MAC program.

Will the Nittany Lions play in a bowl game?

Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith reacts from the sideline during the second quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Before the Nebraska game, Smith said that one player asked whether the team would have bowl practice the weekend of Dec. 6. He pointed that out to suggest that most of the roster wants to play in a bowl game.

"I would anticipate that our guys are going to play," Smith said. "I'm sure there may be a one-off or a two-off here or there with some type of circumstance. We'll just work through that. I have full anticipation our guys are going to play."

Penn State's players can't officially enter the transfer portal until Jan. 2, though they can provide notice of intent to the staff. Under Franklin, players who decided to enter the portal left the team immediately. However, Smith said he doesn't have that policy in place.

"We're in a little bit different situation," Smith said. "... We're in full support of our locker room. We're encouraging our guys to keep an open mind. We don't know what's next, so the most important
thing is that we go play hard Saturday, put on film what you want anybody to know about you on Saturday. We'll cross that bridge when it comes."

Penn State visits Rutgers at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Big Ten Network will televise.

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