Penn State Playoff Projections After College Football's Week 1

The Nittany Lions enhanced their position as playoff contenders with a win over West Virginia.

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) celebrates with teammates after catching a touchdown pass against the West Virginia Mountaineers. / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Penn State delivered a strong opening argument last Saturday in its season-long case to make the 2024 College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions outpaced West Virginia 34-12, topping the Mountaineers by three touchdowns for the second consecutive season. This time, though, the Penn State football team did so on the road in what was an animated stadium — until a weather delay and scores to bookend halftime gave the Nittany Lions control of the afternoon.

Penn State remained at No. 8 in the AP Top 25 after Week 1 but did move up in the ESPN Football Power Index, which has liked the team for two seasons. Penn State also roundly made the projected playoff brackets with the win.

So college football has a bracketology now. Where does Penn State stand in the early 2024 College Football Playoff prediction brackets? Here's a sampling:

Bud Elliott of 247Sports gave Penn State the biggest boost after its win over West Virginia, moving the Nittany Lions to the coveted fifth spot in the CFP bracket. That means a home game against 12th seed UNLV, with a potential game against fourth-seeded Utah looming in the quarterfinals.

The Action Network's Brett McMurphy was impressed with the Nittany Lions, listing them as the No. 7 seed. McMurphy has Penn State hosting USC in a rematch of their Oct. 12 meeting in Los Angeles.

At ESPN, Mark Schlabach has Penn State seeded eighth and hosting Oregon for an epic Big Ten first-round game at Beaver Stadium. Meanwhile, colleague Kyle Bonagura isn't impressed just yet, putting Penn State in the Citrus Bowl against Tennessee.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel predicts a bowl rematch between eighth-seeded Penn State and ninth-seeded Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin's team beat an opt-out depleted Penn State 38-25 in the Peach Bowl, after which the Ole Miss coach approved of a social-media account that faked quotes from a Nittany Lions linebacker. What would Kiffin bring to Round 2?

On3's Andy Staples projects another Peach Bowl II between Penn State and Ole Miss. Staples, though, has Penn State as the No. 9 (and road) team.

Jerry Palm at CBS also has Penn State hosting a first-round game, and it's a potential blockbuster. Palm pits No. 8 Penn State against No. 9 Notre Dame in their first meeting since 2007.

The Sporting News' Bill Bender sends Penn State on the road to Alabama as the No. 11 seed, essentially making it the last team in.

USA Today's Erick Smith projects an interesting first-round game, with Clemson visiting Penn State. Clemson got raked by Georgia in its opener but still has the ACC to reset its season.

Penn State plays its 2024 home opener Saturday against Bowling Green at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on Big Ten Network.

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Penn State on SI 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 X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.