Peach Bowl CEO: Penn State 'Makes Sense for Us'

Penn State has never played in the Peach Bowl. Its president would love to see the Nittany Lions in Atlanta.

College football bowl invitations won't become official until Dec. 3, but one New Year's 6 game is offering an early welcome to Penn State. The Peach Bowl, one of the few bowl games in which Penn State hasn't played, is making its pitch as an attractive destination for the 10-2 Nittany Lions.

"First of all, we've never had Penn State in the Peach Bowl, so it would be great to host Penn State," Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl CEO and president, said in a recent interview. "Great brand, obviously great fans, great administration. I know [Penn State coach] James Franklin. He's a quality guy, and we'd like to work together with him during bowl week."

Penn State seeks to play in its fifth New Year's 6 bowl game in Franklin's 10 years as head coach. His four previous teams that went 10-2 all played in New Year's 6 bowls. But Penn State, which will make its 53rd bowl appearance this season, has yet to visit Atlanta for the Peach Bowl, which began in 1968.

This season could mark the right fit between team and bowl. Stokan made his pitch in a recent interview, delivering a public lobbying effort to bring the Nittany Lions to Atlanta. Several bowl projections agree that Penn State makes sense to the Peach Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

"I would say the reason Penn State makes sense for us is because they are a top-12 team in the country with a great defense," Stokan said. "They'd probably have to be 10-2 with their only losses to two of the top three teams in the country [Ohio State and Michigan]. Their brand resonates for viewership. Their fans would flock to Atlanta, because they've never been here. And it's easy and inexpensive for them to be here. And we would really enjoy hosting Penn State for the first time because of their brand and they play great football."

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Penn State concluded the regular season Friday night with a 42-0 win over Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit, punctuating its second consecutive 10-win regular season. That's likely enough to earn an at-large bid to a New Year's 6 bowl game. The options are the Peach Bowl, the Cotton Bowl (Dec. 29 near Dallas) and the Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1 near Phoenix). Penn State has played in both the Cotton and Fiesta bowls within the past six seasons.

Stokan, a Pittsburgh native who has headed Peach Bowl, Inc. since 1998, said his bowl will "have no say" in the matchups compiled by the College Football Playoff selection committee. There's leeway to determine matchups among the Fiesta, Cotton and Peach bowls, since all three will accept at-large teams. One of the six spots will go to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion.

"We have no say so in who we get," Stokan said. "... I remember the first year the CFP started, on Saturday night before Selection Sunday, I called [executive director] Bill Hancock and said, 'You're going to call me and let me know who we're hosting, right?' And he laughed and said, 'Gary, you'll find out when the rest of America finds out.' And so we're just like you. We sit there on Sunday and wait to see who our two Christmas presents are. We have no real leverage of lobbying or negotiation. It's whatever the Selection Committee decides. Those are the teams we gladly take."

The final College Football Playoff rankings will be released Dec. 3, when the playoff teams and remaining New Year's 6 bowl matchups will be announced as well.

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