Where is Penn State in ESPN's preseason Playoff and bowl projections?

Penn State is picked to make its second deep postseason run in as many years in ESPN’s preseason College Football Playoff and bowl projections. That breakdown headlines today’s newsstand. Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both have the Nittany Lions earning a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds. They also each have head coach James Franklin’s team knocking out Alabama in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. From there, Bonagura has Penn State knocking out Ohio State in the semis to reach the championship game against Texas. Schlabach, on the other hand, has the Lions falling to Clemson. He advances the Tigers to meet the Longhorns in the title game.

“A Penn State-Clemson contest in the Peach Bowl would feature two of the game’s best quarterbacks,” Schlabach writes. “It would also be an intriguing chess match with former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Tom Allen joining Dabo Swinney’s staff this season.

“I have Clemson and Texas meeting in the national championship game, and I’ll go with the Longhorns to win it all. That’s putting a lot on Arch Manning in his first season as a starter, and the Texas offensive line is going to have to do a better job of protecting the quarterback than it did in big contests last season.”

You can see all of their projections here.

CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford also has Penn State earning a first round bye. His projections only go as far as the quarterfinals, where he has the Lions as the sport’s No. 2 seed.

Link: Use Code PSU20 to get 20% off Rhoback’s Gameday Collection

Headlines of the day

Penn State offense and defense take shape as camp winds down: Bauer, BWI

What are college football’s new rules in 2025, and which one might Penn State like the most?: Pickel, BWI

Penn State Football weekly chat: Defensive end and safety update heading into the final week of camp: Carr, BWI

Trimmings: Under the radar Penn State players on offense who could see their roles grow in 2025: Fitz, BWI

Who are the Penn State football team captains for the 2025 season?: Pickel, BWI

Inside Lasch: Four national quarterback recruits Penn State fans should follow this fall: Snyder, BWI

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Quote of the day

“The development history speaks for itself. I had a great talk with coach Franklin and I like how coach Barnes coaches the edge guys.”

Class of 2027 edge Rashad Streets to On3 about PSU.