Would Bowl-Eligible Penn State Consider Skipping the Postseason?

Interim head coach Terry Smith addresses whether the Nittany Lions would play in a bowl game if they're eligible.

Penn State football fans watch from the stands as the Nittany Lions play the Boise State Broncos in the 2024 Fiesta Bowl. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State interim coach Terry Smith expects that the Nittany Lions will play in a bowl game if they're eligible. It's an unfathomable situation for a 2025 team that expected to contend for a national championship, but Smith nevertheless was asked to address it Monday. He pointed toward the Nittany Lions wanting to play.

"My mindset is, we’re trying to win this week, and as we continue to win, why wouldn’t we want to play football?" Smith said at his weekly press conference.

Penn State enters Saturday's game against unbeaten Indiana in an unprecedented situation. The Nittany Lions, who are 13-0 at home vs. Indiana, are underdogs to the Hoosiers for the first time. Penn State (3-5) needs three wins to become bowl-eligible.

After facing second-ranked Indiana, Penn State sandwiches road games at Michigan State (Nov. 15) and Rutgers (Nov. 29) with its home finale against Nebraska. Those teams have a combined record of 13-14.

ESPN's College Football Power Index gives Penn State a 46.5-percent chance of going 6-6 and a 7-percent chance of winning its last four games. As a result, the bowl conversation isn't even a 50/50 proposition yet.

Beyond that, Penn State faces a host of other issues regarding a bowl game, including player engagement, fan engagement and even bowl engagement. Still, Smith believes his team would want to go.

"My feeling based on how they’re performing right now is, if we win enough games to get to bowl eligibility, I think they would play," Smith said at his weekly press conference. "Because they haven’t laid down yet."

RELATED: What we learned from Penn State's 38-14 loss at Ohio State

Should Penn State consider playing in a bowl?

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford celebrates on the podium after defeating the Utah Utes in the 2023 Rose Bowl game. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Five weeks ago, the bowl conversation regarding Penn State revolved around those tied to the College Football Playoff. Would Penn State play a quarterfinal game in the Rose Bowl? Would it return to the Fiesta Bowl for the semifinals?

Now, the Nittany Lions are clinging to consideration for one of the seven Big Ten-tied bowls or other at-large games. Among the likeliest options for a 6-6 Penn State team: the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 in Detroit, the Rate Bowl on Dec. 26 in Phoenix and the Bad Bow Mowers Pinstrip Bowl on Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium.

By then, Penn State should have a new head coach and potentially a large group of players in the transfer portal. The new coach ostensibly could watch what's left of his roster at the game and get a sense of who and what's around him. Though, as Smith said Monday, the change will be overwhelming.

"The reality is, no one knows who’s going to be here [in December]," Smith said. "When the new head coach is hired, that person is going to wipe the whole building out."

Penn State missed only one postseason during former coach James Franklin's tenure. The team played in six consecutive bowl games (including three New Year's 6 games) in Franklin's first six seasons. The Nittany Lions went 4-5 during the shortened 2020 season and, despite being eligible for a game, opted out of the postseason.

Penn State returned to the postseason during the 2021 season, playing in the Outback Bowl without six starters, including first-round draft pick Jahan Dotson. In 2023, the Nittany Lions made their first appearance at the Peach Bowl, a New Year's 6 game in Atlanta that now is part of the CFP rotation.

Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan made clear before the game that the organization wanted Penn State in Atlanta, partly because of the fan base.

"We would really enjoy hosting Penn State for the first time because of their brand and they play great football," Stokan said before the game.

Penn State's situation is different now

Penn State Nittany Lions fans shown in the stands during the 2023 Peach Bowl against the Ole Miss Rebels at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

This is a completely different Penn State team and situation, though. The Nittany Lions would face a wave of potential opt-outs and transfers for a bowl game, particularly if a new coach is in place.

The NCAA recently amended its rules regarding the transfer portal following a coaching change. Under the new rule, players must wait five days after a new coach is hired before entering the portal. Players then have 15 days to enter the portal.

Contracts come into play as well, if they include language requiring players to participate in bowl games. It's unclear whether any Penn State players have signed contracts with those stipulations. At the 2023 Peach Bowl, most players attended the game, though multiple seniors and draft prospects, notably first-round pick Olu Fashanu, either opted out entirely or played limited snaps.

And then there's the potential for reduced fan engagement. Penn State long has been a bowl favorite for its traveling fan base, but the 2012 TicketCity Bowl could be an indicator for this game.

The game drew an announced attendance of 46,817 to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, though most were Houston Cougars fans there to watch a 30-14 win. Penn State fans largely stayed away after 2011 regular season ended with Joe Paterno getting fired.

Still, Smith said he his pushing the current team forward.

"We just try to stay grounded, keep our feet on the ground and be professionals," Smith said. "The young men in the locker room deserve that. They’re showing up to work every single day. So us as coaches and staff, we have to give our 110 percent for these guys. That's what were going to continue to do."