Penn State Football’s aspiration of winning B1G 10 Championship are over in all but name, which raises the question: what bowl game will the Nittany Lions feature in at the conclusion of the 2022 football season?
Last year, the Nittany Lions squared off against the Arkansas Razorbacks at the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL. As a member of the Penn State Blue Band, I was able to go to the game and participate in events the week leading up to the game. No matter where we end up this year, I’m excited to go and support our team. I wrote another blog about our trip to Auburn earlier this year, which you can read here. Without further ado, let’s get into the projections!
Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31, 2022) – College Football Playoff National Semifinal
State Farm Stadium
Glendale, AZ
Ok, hold up. Before you dismiss this blog, consider this scenario: Both Ohio State and Michigan lose their next 3 games, and one of them beats the other in the final game. Penn State advances to the B1G championship and steamrolls an 10-2 Illinois. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but who can say it won’t. There have been crazier things to happen in college football. Sure, they’ve never taken a two-loss team. Maybe this is the year that changes. I’m not going to predict we would ever advance to the final, though. We might have to wait for next year for that.
Projected opponent: Tennessee
Chance of occurring: 0.0000001%
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1, 2023)
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
Alright, now for the serious predictions. The 2018 Penn State Nittany Lions finished 9-3 during the regular season and lost to Kentucky on New Year’s Day. This matchup is looking quite likely if Penn State wins out and holds its position in the polls around #10-#15. While not a New Year’s Six, it is a high caliber bowl game and features the largest potential payout outside of the College Football Playoff.
Predicted opponent: LSU
Chance of occurring: 20%
Orange Bowl (Jan. 1, 2023)
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
The second oldest, and one of the most prestigious bowls, the Orange Bowl features an ACC team (usually the champion, unless than make the CFB) against a team from the B1G or SEC. If Penn State wins out, this game is certainly within reach. Because the last time the Orange Bowl was played (when not a CFB semifinal game) featured an SEC team against an ACC team, it is likely it would be a B1G team. If Penn State remains the highest ranked B1G team outside of the CFB, this game is withing reason.
Predicted opponent: UNC
Chance of occurring 55%
Cotton Bowl
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, TX
The Cotton Bowl, also a NY6 game, features two at-large teams (no conference tie-ins), making it a bit harder to project. Fate would have it that the last time the Nittany Lions were in the Cotton Bowl, a redshirt sophomore Sean Clifford would be leading the team for his first full season at the helm. It would be a fitting end for the Sean Clifford Era if he could win out and lead the Nittany Lions to the 2022 Cotton Bowl.
Predicted opponent: UCLA
Chance of occurring 40%
Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium
Bronx, NY
A bowl game in New York in December doesn’t sound appealing, and this is the worst-case scenario for Penn State. It features an ACC team and a B1G team in a baseball stadium, which doesn’t lend itself to great football performances. The last Penn State team to feature in the Pinstripe Bowl were the 2014 Penn State Nittany Lions, who ended up winning. I don’t really want to think about this one as a possibility, but like I said earlier, you can never be sure with college football.
Precited opponent: NC State
Change of occurring: 5%
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