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