UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The College Football Playoff committee released their first rankings of the season Tuesday night which seeded Penn State as the fourth-ranked team in college football.
There was talk as to who should land the fourth spot between Penn State and Clemson since both teams are undefeated. It came down to strength of schedule which Penn State has the edge over the defending National Champion Tigers.
This is the first time ever that Penn State has been ranked inside the top four in the playoff rankings since the format took over in 2014. Penn State came in ranked lower in the AP and Coaches Polls at five.
Sstudents shared their thoughts on the rankings including freshman Will Sweeney.
“I think Penn State should be ranked that highly,” Sweeny said. “But it did surprise me when the playoff committee thought so as well.”
Students are very excited for the conclusion of the college football season such as senior Justin Henson, who talked about the upcoming match up with a currently top-ranked Ohio State team.
“I am super excited for the Ohio State game,” Henson said. “I think we got a really good team and I can’t wait to hopefully go to the National Championship game in a few months.”
Before talking of a National Championship bid, Penn State has to conquer their remaining schedule against four conference opponents. The next game for the Nittany Lions comes on the road against a tough Minnesota team on Saturday.
Sean Barron is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email stb5311@psu.edu.