Penn State Remains at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff Rankings

Another week and Penn State remains in control of postseason destiny. After a 49-10 win at Purdue this past weekend, the Nittany Lions are staying put at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, released on Tuesday.

If the season were to end on Tuesday, Penn State would host a first-round matchup against No. 10 Georgia, based on ESPN’s projected playoff bracket. This is, of course, subject to change with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

The Nittany Lions are one of four Big Ten teams ranked in the top 12. Oregon and Ohio State remained at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, while Indiana stayed put at No. 5. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers will face off on Saturday in a pivotal matchup that is likely to dictate Big Ten Championship berths and playoff seeding.

It should help Penn State’s strength-of-schedule criteria that Illinois, which sustained a 21-7 loss to the Nittany Lions on Sept. 28, returned to the rankings at No. 25. The Fighting Illini currently serve as Penn State’s lone ranked win this season.

For a chance at the playoffs, the Nittany Lions would almost assuredly have to win its final two regular season games against Minnesota (6-4) and Maryland (4-6).

The Golden Gophers, who will host Penn State on Saturday, are coming off a 26-19 loss to Rutgers. Despite the defeat, P.J. Fleck’s squad shouldn’t be overlooked, given that Minnesota’s defense currently ranks fifth in the conference in points allowed (17.7) and yards per game (296.4).