Penn State drops to No. 11 in final College Football Playoff rankings

Penn State fell three spots in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the 2022 season after several lower-ranked teams won their conference title games.

The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 11 as the playoff seedings and bowl pairings were announced Sunday. The Nittany Lions will take on Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl.

Clemson, Utah and Kansas State all jumped in front of Penn State in the rankings after winning their conference championships.

The Big Ten has two teams in the playoff, both of which handed Penn State their only losses of the season. In fact, Ohio State’s win over Penn State helped elevate it over Alabama in the eyes of the committee, Chair Boo Corrigan said on ESPN.

No. 1 Georgia will face No. 4 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan will face No. 3 TCU in the CFP semifinals.

Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State were the only ranked Big Ten teams.

College Football Playoff rankings

(Dec. 4, 2022)

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. TCU

4. Ohio State

5. Alabama

6. Tennessee

7. Clemson

8. Utah

9. Kansas State

10. USC

11. Penn State

12. Washington

13. Florida State

14. Oregon State

15. Oregon

16. Tulane

17. LSU

18. UCLA

19. South Carolina

20. Texas

21. Notre Dame

22. Mississippi State

23. North Carolina State

24. Troy

25. UTSA