Penn State Football 2018: 5 bold predictions for November

1. Penn State earns third consecutive New Year’s Six Bowl

The bowl bids are not handed out until the Sunday after the conference championship games in early December. However, we should be able to make a good guess where Penn State is headed at the end of November.

Penn State has a tough start to November and it should get lighter towards the end. A trip to Ann Arbor to face the Wolverines will be a huge challenge for the Lions. Coming off a tough win over Iowa should give them confidence, however, Michigan has not lost since Week 1. It would be a surprise to see Penn State win in Ann Arbor, where they have not won since 2009.

A home game against Wisconsin does not look as daunting as it once did. The Badgers will still provide a test for the Lions, but the game at home, Penn State should be the favorite. The Lions then close the season with a road trip against Rutgers and a senior day date against Maryland. In both of those games, Penn State should be heavy favorites.

A 9-3 record overall and 6-3 conference record is not a bad finish, albeit a slight step down from the last couple seasons. Usually a nine-win record will earn a Big Ten team a trip to the Citrus or Outback bowls. However we predict there to be some chaos in the month of November and a 9-3 Penn State will be pretty attractive to the non-playoff New Year’s Six bowls.

Outside of the two playoff semi-finals, the bowls are looking for good match-ups and fan bases that will bring money. Penn State fans travel well and would make a good match-up for any team they are slotted against.

The Cotton, Fiesta and Peach Bowls have no tie-ins to conferences. With the Cotton hosting a playoff semi-final game, either a return trip to Glendale or a first ever trip to Atlanta will be the Nittany Lions reward.