After a 35-6 win over Washington on Saturday, Penn State remains in firm contention to make a debut in the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions moved up two spots to No. 4 in the Week 11 College Football Playoff rankings, released Tuesday night.
Based on ESPN’s projected playoff bracket, Penn State would host a first-round matchup against No. 11 Ole Miss, if the season were to end on Tuesday. But with three weeks remaining in the regular season, this is subject to change.
Penn State will play at Purdue (1-8) this weekend before hitting the road again to face Minnesota (6-4) on Nov. 23. James Franklin’s program will conclude the regular season at home against Maryland on Nov. 30.
“We value winning,” Franklin said after defeating the Huskies, “and if you watch college football all over the country, it’s hard to win on a consistent basis. You see it every single week, upsets and things like that. So we value winning, we respect winning and what it takes.”
The Big Ten holds four of the top five spots in this week’s CFP rankings, with Oregon again No. 1, Ohio State at No. 2 and Indiana at No. 5. Texas slots in at No. 3.
| 1 | Oregon | 10-0 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 8-1 |
| 3 | Texas | 8-1 |
| 4 | Penn State | 8-1 |
| 5 | Indiana | 10-0 |
| 6 | BYU | 9-0 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 8-1 |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 8-1 |
| 9 | Miami | 9-1 |
| 10 | Alabama | 7-2 |
| 11 | Mississippi | 8-2 |
| 12 | Georgia | 7-2 |
| 13 | Boise State | 8-1 |
| 14 | SMU | 8-1 |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 7-2 |
| 16 | Kansas State | 7-2 |
| 17 | Colorado | 7-2 |
| 18 | Washington State | 8-1 |
| 19 | Louisville | 6-3 |
| 20 | Clemson | 7-2 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 6-3 |
| 22 | LSU | 6-3 |
| 23 | Missouri | 7-2 |
| 24 | Army | 9-0 |
| 25 | Tulane | 8-2 |
