This Week in Penn State Bowl Projections

The Lions' Rose Bowl window cracked open a bit wider, but Pasadena isn't beckoning yet.

Penn State's Rose Bowl chances received a slight boost Saturday from a surprising SEC result, though that game also might have blocked the Lions' path to other New Year's 6 bowls.

Penn State continued its surge to the top 10 with a 55-10 win over Rutgers on Saturday, a game in which the Lions scored 48 unanswered points after a sluggish start. Penn State (9-2) has won three straight since losing to Ohio State, which will play a major role in the Lions' bowl future. As did another game this past weekend.

Unranked South Carolina's stunning 63-38 win over No. 5 Tennessee upended the SEC's chances to qualify two teams for the College Football Playoff. It also opened a door for the Big Ten to do the same. Next week's Ohio State-Michigan game will bear a huge impact on te playoff and, in turn. Penn State's bowl future.

So what do Penn State's bowl possibilities look like entering the regular season's final week? Here's a look that supposes the Lions defeat Michigan State to finish the regular season 10-2.

Rose Bowl

• When: Jan. 2  
• Where: Pasadena, California
• Matchup: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
• What to Watch: To reach the Rose Bowl, Penn State needs Ohio State and Michigan in the playoff. That possibility improved with South Carolina's knockout of Tennessee, which likely eliminated the Vols from playoff contention. To help solidify this path, Penn State also could use losses by TCU and/or USC in the coming weeks. And perhaps a Michigan win over Ohio State in The Game.

Orange Bowl

• When: Dec. 30
• Where: Miami Gardens, Florida
• Matchup: ACC vs. the highest-ranked team from the SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame
• What to Watch: What will the CFP committee do with Tennessee this week? That's a crucial question for the Lions' NY6 chances, which Tennesee’s loss altered. It's possible that four SEC teams (Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Alabama) still will be ranked ahead of Penn State. Even if if that's three after the SEC title game, the conference's bowl breakdown could go like this: Georgia to the playoff, Tennessee to the Sugar Bowl and Alabama to the Orange Bowl. It would be huge for Penn State to see Tennessee below it in Tuesday's rankings. LSU still could wrench everything by beating Georgia in the SEC title game.

Cotton Bowl

• When: Jan. 2
• Where: Arlington, Texas
• Matchup: Highest-ranked at-large vs. highest-ranked Group of Five team
• What to Watch: If the Lions are ahead of Tennessee on Tuesday, their Cotton Bowl odds improve. Penn State needs to be the highest-ranked at-large team in two weeks to return to the Cotton Bowl. That's fluid, though, considering the potential for upsets in conference title games. A Cotton Bowl bid also presumes one Big Ten team in the playoff.

Citrus Bowl

• When: Jan 2
• Where: Orlando
• Matchup: Big Ten vs. SEC
• What to Watch: This is Penn State's default bowl regardless whether it wins next week. The Lions end up in Orlando if one Big Ten team and one SEC team reach the playoff and Tennessee/LSU/Alabama remain ranked ahead of them to take the available NY6 slots. 

Up Next

Penn State hosts Michigan State on Nov. 26 for Senior Day at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

PENN STATE FANS: SI Tickets is your one-stop shop for tickets to a variety of Penn State sporting events, from football to basketball, hockey to volleyball. Need tickets to the Penn State game? Check out SI Tickets.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.