As discussed in other threads, Penn State has a shot at a New Year's 6 bowl but will need plenty of help. I've compiled a list of rooting interests that I feel are most likely to get a 10-2 Penn State into one of those bowls. I'll continue to do so in the coming weeks as long as Penn State keeps winning. A lot of these rooting interests are also contingent on the outcome of other games, both this week and the future, so just suspend belief at some point. I don't expect all of this to happen, but these are the best scenarios for PSU as of tonight. Or, if you trust me enough, put $10 on a massive 40-leg parlay and give me 10% of the winnings.
*These aren't rooting interests for recruiting, rivalry, hatred, or anything else. Just what is best for Penn State to grab a big time bowl bid.
#9 Washington (8-1) at Stanford (6-3)
All in on the Cardinal this weekend. Washington is severely overrated by the Selection Committee. They have 0 wins against P5 schools with records above .500 and a bad loss to 5-4 Arizona State. Stanford winning won't catapult them above Penn State, but it should drop an 8-2 Washington team significantly.
#23 NC State (6-3) at Boston College (5-4)
The Wolfpack doesn't directly impact Penn State, but they've played teams that do (ND, Clemson). The worse the NC State win looks for those two teams, the better. Of course, a lot needs to happen with the Irish and Clemson going forward, but an NC State loss to BC hurts their RPI and power rankings, thus hurting ND and Clemson.
#15 Oklahoma State (7-2) at #21 Iowa State (6-3)
Need a Cyclones win here, and it's a no-brainer. A win obviously knocks the Pokes to 7-3, but it's also the 3rd conference loss for them and eliminating them from the Big XII championship. Meanwhile, Iowa St will have wins over OU, TCU, and OkSt. If they could win the final two games (Baylor and Kansas State), they would own the tie-breaker on all their top competitors, meaning one of the two more highly ranked teams, Oklahoma and TCU (we'll get to that later) will be left out of the conference title game.
#12 Michigan State (7-2) at #13 Ohio State (7-2)
Still shocked that Sparty is ranked this highly as I don't believe they're a very good team, but we'll need to root for them on Saturday. While both schools own the tie-breaker on Penn State, only Ohio State has a challenging game remaining on their schedule - a suddenly Offensively capable Michigan Wolverines team...at the Big House. Msu will win the East with this game. Penn State would then root for Michigan to beat the Buckeyes in order to finish 2nd in the East, but PSU would still have an NY6 argument over a 9-3 anyway.
Connecticut (3-6) at #18 Central Florida (8-0)
Not gonna spend much time on this. A Ucf loss may prevent a non-P5 team taking a NY6 bowl - depending on how Memphis ends the year - and obviously opening up another spot. With that said, UConn is 38 point dogs and will get destroyed.
#17 Virginia Tech (7-2) at Georgia Tech (4-4)
This game has no meaning in terms of the ACC chase, but could be important in the NY6 picture. VT closes the season with Pitt and UVA, two very winnable games. A 10-2 season is within reach if they can get by the Ramblin Wreck. VT boasts 0 wins against teams currently in the top 25 while Penn State has 2, but let's just hope the committee doesn't have to decide. A 3rd Hokie loss bounces them from consideration.
Florida State (3-5) at #4 Clemson (8-1)
This is actually a very critical game. If Fsu could somehow knock off Clemson, it would be Bad Loss No. 2 for the Tigers. Additionally, it could set up an NY6 elimination game against Miami in the Acc championship. If Clemson were to lose that and fall to 10-3, they're argument would be much weaker. Yes, the Auburn, VT, and NC St wins are nice, but now you see why we want NC St and VT to lose as much as possible.
#20 Iowa (6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (8-0)
I-O-W-A! Yessir, the Hawkeyes could be the biggest helper of Penn State for the second year in a row. Not only was their dismantling of OSU go a long way towards helping the Lions, but they could double down a boost PSU again this week. Iowa has Purdue and Nebraska left and, with a win, could be looking at a Top 15 season. That's huge on Penn State's resume. Also, it's clear the Selection Committee does not like Wisconsin given the fact that they're one of four P5 unbeatens left and are sitting in the 8 slot in the rankings. They also have Michigan next week and likely the B1G championship game even if they lose those 2 (tie-breaker over NW). A 2-loss Wisco conference runner-up team is probably going to get passed by PSU. A 3 loss Wisco team might not be ranked.
#1 Georgia (9-0) at #10 Auburn (7-2)
As crazy as it sounds, I think we want the Dawgs here. Auburn would get their 3rd loss (all top 25 L's) to pair with their 1 top 25 win (Mississippi State). With an Iron Bowl date against Alabama still on the horizon, a 4-loss season is possible for the Tigers. What about Georgia you ask? Yes, at this point I'm now rooting for 2 SEC playoff teams because there isn't another team in the conference that would challenge Penn State for an NY6 bowl.
#11 Southern California (8-2) at Colorado (5-5)
Look who's back, back again, SoCal's back, tell a friend. Remember when the Pac 12's chances of the CFP were completely dead two weeks ago? Not the case any longer. If SC wins out and beats the Pac 12 North champ they're IN...maybe. Yes, a loss would drop them to 3 L's on the season which would be great...but that's not likely. They have very little standing in their way before the conference championship. Washington (previously noted) and Wazzu have tough schedules down the stretch and one will be knocked off by the other in the Apple Cup. If SC wins out, they could sneak into the CFP depending on what else happens. Even if they don't, the Pac 12 champ gets a NY6 bowl anyway and there is a very real chance every other Pac 12 school will have 3 losses. So yes, I'm going for SC and hoping the Pac 12 north cannibalizes itself.
#19 Washington State (8-2) at Utah (5-4)
Utah started 4-0 before losing 4 straight, but they may have righted the ship last week by trouncing Ucla 45-17. The Utes seem to pull off one of these stunners at home every year and this would be an ideal situation for it to happen. The Cougars are coming off a hard-fought win against Stanford and that physical toll paired with a road trip could prove tough for the Fighting Leaches. I don't think it hurts Penn State even if they win out bc winning the conf gets them an NY6 anyway, but I want them to have a 3rd loss before facing Washington. If a 3-loss Cougars team beats U-Dub, the Huskies still go to the Conf title. Two 2-loss teams play for 1 spot. If 2-loss Wazzu beats 1-loss Washington, Washington could be 10-2 and not in the Pac 12 championship, basically the same situation as Penn State. Not the end of the world, but less competition is obviously better.
Purdue (4-5) at #25 Northwestern (6-3)
Another resume booster for Penn State. As much as I like the job Jeff Brohm has done at Purdue, I'm selfish and want NW to continue to win. I said in my pre-season rankings in February that I felt NW was a top 20 team and, with a very manageable final 3 games (Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois), they very well could be. Two road wins against top 20 teams would be huge for PSU (Iowa potentially being the other).
#2 Alabama (9-0) at #16 Mississippi State (7-2)
It felt weird/wrong/uncomfortable to type the number "2" next to Alabama's name. At any rate, we need the Crimson Tide to win and winning big would be a bonus. I mentioned earlier how the SEC getting both Bama and UGA into the playoff would help PSU get an NY6 bowl because no other SEC team would be in the conversation. That only happens if Saban beats Mullen this weekend. Bama has stumbled in similar games in the past (Tamu, Ole Miss) and those cowbells are enough to drive a person insane, but still think the Tide should overcome the trip to Starksville.
#3 Notre Dame (8-1) at #7 Miami (FL) (8-0)
Doesn't quite feel like the 80s Catholics vs Convicts, but how about South Bend vs South Beach? This game can go a couple ways as far as rooting interest is concerned. ND has Navy next week who has given them trouble in recent years and then Stanford to end the season which is not an easy game. If both Clemson and Miami make the ACC title game with one loss, I think they get 1 in the playoff and one in the NY6. In fact the more I type, the more I realize the rooting interest for this game won't be determined until the games played before 8 PM finish up. If Clemson loses, we want Miami to win, then Miami to win the ACC title game and eliminating Clemson from consideration. Would then hope for ND to lose to Stanford. If Clemson wins, we would probably want ND to win. Much like Wisconsin, Miami is undefeated but only #7. A loss here and to Clemson in the Conf championship might be enough to let Penn State jump them.
#6 TCU (8-1) at #5 Oklahoma (8-1)
Here's where things get tricky. The only loss for both teams is against Iowa State and, as I mentioned above, the Cyclones own the tie-breakers. Even if ISU loses, the loser of this game is on the outside looking in for the Big XII title game if ISU wins 2 of their next 3. Of the two, Oklahoma has the better resume with TCU's only top 25 win coming against OkSt. Oklahoma winning out puts them in the CFP and TCU likely at 10-2. Is their resume better than Penn State's? I don't think so, thus I'm pulling for Boomer Sooner this weekend.
Too much to happen to really pick 12 teams right now, but my top 4 are:
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. ACC champ
4. Georgia
Some other resume booster rooting interests:
Indiana (3-6) at Illinois (2-7)
Nebraska (4-5) at Minnesota (4-5)
Michigan (7-2) at Maryland (5-4)
*These aren't rooting interests for recruiting, rivalry, hatred, or anything else. Just what is best for Penn State to grab a big time bowl bid.
#9 Washington (8-1) at Stanford (6-3)
All in on the Cardinal this weekend. Washington is severely overrated by the Selection Committee. They have 0 wins against P5 schools with records above .500 and a bad loss to 5-4 Arizona State. Stanford winning won't catapult them above Penn State, but it should drop an 8-2 Washington team significantly.
#23 NC State (6-3) at Boston College (5-4)
The Wolfpack doesn't directly impact Penn State, but they've played teams that do (ND, Clemson). The worse the NC State win looks for those two teams, the better. Of course, a lot needs to happen with the Irish and Clemson going forward, but an NC State loss to BC hurts their RPI and power rankings, thus hurting ND and Clemson.
#15 Oklahoma State (7-2) at #21 Iowa State (6-3)
Need a Cyclones win here, and it's a no-brainer. A win obviously knocks the Pokes to 7-3, but it's also the 3rd conference loss for them and eliminating them from the Big XII championship. Meanwhile, Iowa St will have wins over OU, TCU, and OkSt. If they could win the final two games (Baylor and Kansas State), they would own the tie-breaker on all their top competitors, meaning one of the two more highly ranked teams, Oklahoma and TCU (we'll get to that later) will be left out of the conference title game.
#12 Michigan State (7-2) at #13 Ohio State (7-2)
Still shocked that Sparty is ranked this highly as I don't believe they're a very good team, but we'll need to root for them on Saturday. While both schools own the tie-breaker on Penn State, only Ohio State has a challenging game remaining on their schedule - a suddenly Offensively capable Michigan Wolverines team...at the Big House. Msu will win the East with this game. Penn State would then root for Michigan to beat the Buckeyes in order to finish 2nd in the East, but PSU would still have an NY6 argument over a 9-3 anyway.
Connecticut (3-6) at #18 Central Florida (8-0)
Not gonna spend much time on this. A Ucf loss may prevent a non-P5 team taking a NY6 bowl - depending on how Memphis ends the year - and obviously opening up another spot. With that said, UConn is 38 point dogs and will get destroyed.
#17 Virginia Tech (7-2) at Georgia Tech (4-4)
This game has no meaning in terms of the ACC chase, but could be important in the NY6 picture. VT closes the season with Pitt and UVA, two very winnable games. A 10-2 season is within reach if they can get by the Ramblin Wreck. VT boasts 0 wins against teams currently in the top 25 while Penn State has 2, but let's just hope the committee doesn't have to decide. A 3rd Hokie loss bounces them from consideration.
Florida State (3-5) at #4 Clemson (8-1)
This is actually a very critical game. If Fsu could somehow knock off Clemson, it would be Bad Loss No. 2 for the Tigers. Additionally, it could set up an NY6 elimination game against Miami in the Acc championship. If Clemson were to lose that and fall to 10-3, they're argument would be much weaker. Yes, the Auburn, VT, and NC St wins are nice, but now you see why we want NC St and VT to lose as much as possible.
#20 Iowa (6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (8-0)
I-O-W-A! Yessir, the Hawkeyes could be the biggest helper of Penn State for the second year in a row. Not only was their dismantling of OSU go a long way towards helping the Lions, but they could double down a boost PSU again this week. Iowa has Purdue and Nebraska left and, with a win, could be looking at a Top 15 season. That's huge on Penn State's resume. Also, it's clear the Selection Committee does not like Wisconsin given the fact that they're one of four P5 unbeatens left and are sitting in the 8 slot in the rankings. They also have Michigan next week and likely the B1G championship game even if they lose those 2 (tie-breaker over NW). A 2-loss Wisco conference runner-up team is probably going to get passed by PSU. A 3 loss Wisco team might not be ranked.
#1 Georgia (9-0) at #10 Auburn (7-2)
As crazy as it sounds, I think we want the Dawgs here. Auburn would get their 3rd loss (all top 25 L's) to pair with their 1 top 25 win (Mississippi State). With an Iron Bowl date against Alabama still on the horizon, a 4-loss season is possible for the Tigers. What about Georgia you ask? Yes, at this point I'm now rooting for 2 SEC playoff teams because there isn't another team in the conference that would challenge Penn State for an NY6 bowl.
#11 Southern California (8-2) at Colorado (5-5)
Look who's back, back again, SoCal's back, tell a friend. Remember when the Pac 12's chances of the CFP were completely dead two weeks ago? Not the case any longer. If SC wins out and beats the Pac 12 North champ they're IN...maybe. Yes, a loss would drop them to 3 L's on the season which would be great...but that's not likely. They have very little standing in their way before the conference championship. Washington (previously noted) and Wazzu have tough schedules down the stretch and one will be knocked off by the other in the Apple Cup. If SC wins out, they could sneak into the CFP depending on what else happens. Even if they don't, the Pac 12 champ gets a NY6 bowl anyway and there is a very real chance every other Pac 12 school will have 3 losses. So yes, I'm going for SC and hoping the Pac 12 north cannibalizes itself.
#19 Washington State (8-2) at Utah (5-4)
Utah started 4-0 before losing 4 straight, but they may have righted the ship last week by trouncing Ucla 45-17. The Utes seem to pull off one of these stunners at home every year and this would be an ideal situation for it to happen. The Cougars are coming off a hard-fought win against Stanford and that physical toll paired with a road trip could prove tough for the Fighting Leaches. I don't think it hurts Penn State even if they win out bc winning the conf gets them an NY6 anyway, but I want them to have a 3rd loss before facing Washington. If a 3-loss Cougars team beats U-Dub, the Huskies still go to the Conf title. Two 2-loss teams play for 1 spot. If 2-loss Wazzu beats 1-loss Washington, Washington could be 10-2 and not in the Pac 12 championship, basically the same situation as Penn State. Not the end of the world, but less competition is obviously better.
Purdue (4-5) at #25 Northwestern (6-3)
Another resume booster for Penn State. As much as I like the job Jeff Brohm has done at Purdue, I'm selfish and want NW to continue to win. I said in my pre-season rankings in February that I felt NW was a top 20 team and, with a very manageable final 3 games (Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois), they very well could be. Two road wins against top 20 teams would be huge for PSU (Iowa potentially being the other).
#2 Alabama (9-0) at #16 Mississippi State (7-2)
It felt weird/wrong/uncomfortable to type the number "2" next to Alabama's name. At any rate, we need the Crimson Tide to win and winning big would be a bonus. I mentioned earlier how the SEC getting both Bama and UGA into the playoff would help PSU get an NY6 bowl because no other SEC team would be in the conversation. That only happens if Saban beats Mullen this weekend. Bama has stumbled in similar games in the past (Tamu, Ole Miss) and those cowbells are enough to drive a person insane, but still think the Tide should overcome the trip to Starksville.
#3 Notre Dame (8-1) at #7 Miami (FL) (8-0)
Doesn't quite feel like the 80s Catholics vs Convicts, but how about South Bend vs South Beach? This game can go a couple ways as far as rooting interest is concerned. ND has Navy next week who has given them trouble in recent years and then Stanford to end the season which is not an easy game. If both Clemson and Miami make the ACC title game with one loss, I think they get 1 in the playoff and one in the NY6. In fact the more I type, the more I realize the rooting interest for this game won't be determined until the games played before 8 PM finish up. If Clemson loses, we want Miami to win, then Miami to win the ACC title game and eliminating Clemson from consideration. Would then hope for ND to lose to Stanford. If Clemson wins, we would probably want ND to win. Much like Wisconsin, Miami is undefeated but only #7. A loss here and to Clemson in the Conf championship might be enough to let Penn State jump them.
#6 TCU (8-1) at #5 Oklahoma (8-1)
Here's where things get tricky. The only loss for both teams is against Iowa State and, as I mentioned above, the Cyclones own the tie-breakers. Even if ISU loses, the loser of this game is on the outside looking in for the Big XII title game if ISU wins 2 of their next 3. Of the two, Oklahoma has the better resume with TCU's only top 25 win coming against OkSt. Oklahoma winning out puts them in the CFP and TCU likely at 10-2. Is their resume better than Penn State's? I don't think so, thus I'm pulling for Boomer Sooner this weekend.
Too much to happen to really pick 12 teams right now, but my top 4 are:
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. ACC champ
4. Georgia
Some other resume booster rooting interests:
Indiana (3-6) at Illinois (2-7)
Nebraska (4-5) at Minnesota (4-5)
Michigan (7-2) at Maryland (5-4)
