Penn State’s College Football Playoff hopes are all but gone after the White Out loss to USC, and the bowl picture is starting to come into focus.
The 31-23 defeat left the Nittany Lions staring at a season that looks far less like a playoff chase and far more like a fight to simply reach six wins. The chance to bounce back from adversity and ride a manageable Big Ten path disappeared with the loss, and the season’s lack of a clear identity continues to hang over the program.
ESPN’s Football Power Index now gives Penn State a 0 percent shot at reaching the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions still have a 15.3 percent chance to win out from here, up from roughly 11 percent, but ESPN also lists them at 0.0 percent to make the national title game.
The Athletic’s view has shifted just as sharply. After projecting Penn State as a No. 8 through No. 11 seed during the first three weeks of the season, the outlet now has the Nittany Lions at less than 1 percent to make the playoff.
If the postseason is going to mean something for Penn State, it may have to come through a non-playoff bowl. Sports Illustrated projects the Nittany Lions to Tampa for a New Year’s Eve meeting with Florida in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
CBS Sports has Penn State headed to Charlotte for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, where the opponent would be Virginia Tech and a familiar collection of names: James Franklin, Ethan Grunkemeyer, Luke Reynolds and the rest of Virginia Tech’s roster.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Faces A Brutal ACC Question After Another Collapse
Virginia Techs latest stumble fit right into a widening ACC picture after Week 6, one that has left the league sorting contenders from pretenders with very little clarity behind Miami and Wake Forest. Boston College is still trying to find its footing, Stanford has been battered by lopsided losses, Syracuse had the look of a team that could have beaten Virginia despite the numbers, and Georgia Techs upset of Duke only added to the sense that the middle of the conference is as volatile as ever.
For the Hokies, the frustration is even sharper because they keep finding themselves close enough to turn a week into a statement and instead walking away with another collapse. Virginia Tech had control late against Cal and looked positioned to bank a much-needed win, but the finish instead became part of the ACCs growing list of head-scratching endings, the kind that makes every upcoming schedule line feel heavier than it should. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Gets A Surprising Chance To Silence Doubts This Week
Virginia Tech heads into Lane Stadium this week carrying the sort of lingering questions that tend to hang around a team after two close losses. The Hokies still have enough in their favor to make this a meaningful response spot, with Ethan Grunkemeyer steering the offense and Luke Reynolds giving the passing game another reliable target, while the ACC Network broadcast adds a little more visibility to a game that could shape the early read on this group.
Georgia Tech arrives with its own weapons, especially quarterback Alberto Mendoza and running back Justice Haynes, so this is not the kind of tune-up that lets Virginia Tech coast through the afternoon. For the Hokies, the bigger issue is less about reputation and more about whether they can turn near misses into something cleaner and more convincing against an opponent that can make them earn every answer. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Needs Grunkemeyer Again As New Concern Builds Up Front
James Franklin used his media session ahead of Homecoming against Georgia Tech to put a spotlight on the two places Virginia Tech most needs steadiness right now: the quarterback and the line in front of him. Ethan Grunkemeyer has given the Hokies a reliable presence under center, with 1,734 passing yards and a 12:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio over six games, and Franklin made it clear he believes the young passer has handled the job well as the offense keeps trying to build around him.
The bigger concern is what happens around Grunkemeyer, where injuries have thinned the offensive line and forced Virginia Tech into a next-man-up approach. Franklin also pointed to ongoing issues in the secondary, where the problems are about coverage rather than health, and that leaves the Hokies trying to clean up two critical areas at once before a conference matchup that could expose either one quickly. [Read more 🡒]