Penn State Football Gets 2/1 Odds to Make First Expanded Playoff Field
A diving Drew Allar tosses a shovel pass to Theo Johnson for a touchdown vs. Maryland. Photo by Paul Burdick | For StateCollege.com
At least one online odds maker is favoring Penn State to make the first 12-team expanded College Football Playoff format this upcoming season. BetOnline[.]ag is taking wagers that include 2/1 odds in favor of the Nittany Lions making the field. The same outlet also sees Penn State with the fourth-best odds to win the newly expanded Big Ten conference.
Last week, the College Football Playoff Committee finalized a 5+7 format for at least the next two playoffs. In turn, the selection process will include the five highest-ranked conference champions with seven at-large bids filling out the field. The committee also discussed a 14-team format starting in the 2026 but nothing was determined during that meeting.
“This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State University and chair of the CFP Board of Managers. “I know this change will also be well received by student-athletes, coaches and fans. We all will be pleased to see this new format come to life on the field this postseason.”
Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi is among the members of the CFP Board of Managers.
In any case an expanded playoff field has always favored the appearance of a Penn State program that has spent the better part of the last decade on the fringes of the four-team playoff. The Nittany Lions were the first team out of the 2016 postseason, getting snubbed by Ohio State in spite of beating the Buckeyes and winning the Big Ten Championship with a dramatic comeback victory over Wisconsin. Penn State has since dabbled with early and midseason rankings within the Top 4 but has yet to finish the season in the playoff field.
Three other Big Ten teams are favored to make the field including defending national title winner Michigan who will head into the 2024 season with no shortage of changes following the departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh. Ohio State, Oregon and USC are among other conference foes with comparable odds to make the expanded field. Away from the betting parlors, CBS Sports projection guru Jerry Palm also sees Penn State making the field, traveling to face Alabama.
On the whole, the four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye, while teams seeded five through 12 will play each other in the first round on the home field of the higher-ranked team. (The team ranked #5 will host #12; team #6 will meet team #11; team #7 will play team #10; and team #8 will meet #9.)
