Penn State is firmly in the 12-team College Football Playoff field projections after a 4-0 start to the 2024 college football season. Head coach James Franklin’s team now has its first Big Ten win after beating Illinois last weekend and seeks its second this Saturday when UCLA visits Beaver Stadium for a Noon ET kickoff on FOX.

“One of the things I talked to the team about is the importance of us taking a significant step this week and not having to be one of those teams you see all over the country that have to have a setback first before they make a wake-up call and take a significant step,” Franklin said Monday.

“So we need to do that this week. Very, very important for us. You know, obviously getting into UCLA, one of the things that was interesting that I was unaware of when you kind of first start doing your homework on this opponent, is in our last five matchups against UCLA, we’re 1-4. I did not expect that.”

Where is Penn State in the postseason projections before the Bruins come to town? Here’s the latest rundown.

Penn State postseason projections ahead of Week 6

The On3 trio of Ari Wasserman, Jesse Simonton, and Andy Staples all have weighed in. Staples has Penn State as the No. 9 seed and playing at No. 8 Oregon in Round 1. Simonton has the same matchup. And, Wasserman has the same two teams playing each other but has the Nittany Lions at No. 10 and the Ducks at No. 7. Finally, The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy calls for PSU to be the No. 8 seed and thus host No. 9 Oregon.

“Though it wasn’t a sexy win or a game that features a ton of jaw-dropping highlights, Penn State beat a really good Illinois team Saturday and limited the Illinois offense to less than 250 yards,” Wasserman writes. “While I’m still trying to piece together who Penn State actually is this year, it has a big opportunity to prove to the country it’s for real when it travels to USC on Oct. 12.”

At ESPN, Heather Dinich puts the Lions at No. 6, which would have them hosting her No. 11 team, Kansas State, in Round 1. Her colleagues Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both have Penn State as the No. 9 seed. The former has it playing at No. 8 Oregon and the latter projects the Lions to be at No. 8 Georgia. For the Sporting News, Bill Bender calls for a Nos. 10-7 matchup with the Lions traveling to the Bulldogs.

“Here is the tricky situation for the Bulldogs,” Bender writes. “A second loss would still be negotiable, but they would lose a first-round home game at that point. For now, Georgia remains a top-eight team. Penn State is winning with a relentless rushing attack that piled up 241 yards in a 21-7 victory against Illinois.”

What do the projections tell us?

Unsurprisingly, things are pretty much status quo. Penn State figures to be right on the cut line in terms of being ranked at No. 8 or better, which would allow it to host a first round home game. And, all agree that once the Lions complete their stretch of USC, Wisconsin, and Ohio State between Oct. 12 and Nov. 2, we will know much more about their long-term CPF outlook.

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