College Football Playoff, New Year’s Six Bowl projections after Week 6

Orange Bowl

NC State v Penn State

The Wolfpack had an absolute battle on their hands in a 19-17 rock fight with the Florida State Seminoles. The Wolfpack don’t necessarily look the part of a New Year’s Six bowl team so far this season, but they continue to win and looked really competitive at Clemson last week.

The Wolfpack have their next big challenge this week, when they head to New York to take on Syracuse. The Orange are having a Cinderella season so far, and are favorites in their matchup this weekend. If Devin Leary is healthy, I think NC State is the better team, but they need him to win. An Orange Bowl appearance would be one of the biggest bowls in the program’s history.

Meeting the Wolfpack in Miami are the Nittany Lions of Penn State.

James Franklin and his men from Happy Valley enjoyed a bye week as they prepared for their biggest game of the year, taking on the Wolverines in the Big House.

The challenge will be difficult, but if anyone can muck a game up and frustrate the Wolverines in the trenches, it’s Penn State. It might be the first to 17 that wins this game.

It may not be pretty, but their run game, their dominant defense, and their veteran QB play from Clifford have them in a prime position to make some noise.

It’s judgment week for Penn State. We’ll get a great look at how special this season can be for them, but for now, we have them partying in South Beach.