College Football Playoff Rankings: Projected Top 10 after Week 11

If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that Penn State would be 8-2 and sitting at No. 9 in the country with just two weeks left to play in the regular season, I would have looked them straight in the eyes and laughed. That would have seemed like the most far-fetched scenario, but it has come to fruition.

James Franklin basically needed a year like this to save his job and he has put together an impressive campaign which was really revved up by an upset with over then-No. 2 Ohio State at home.

Since that victory, the Nittany Lions have done nothing but trend in the right direction. With a first-year starting quarterback and a relatively young team, Penn State wasn’t expected to do much this season and it looked like it’d be another 7-5 year after a 49-10 loss to Michigan, but they have since rebounded to post an 8-2 record.

There’s a realistic chance that if this team wins out, it could find itself playing for a Big Ten title and, potentially, a playoff berth. It would be shocking to see, but the Nittany Lions are surely still in the hunt.