11 seed - No. 10 Ole Miss at 6 seed - No. 4 Penn State
Penn State rebounded from an emotional loss to Ohio State with a thumping of Washington as they led 28-0 at the half and won 35-6. The Nittany Lions, as frustrated as some fans might be with James Franklin, are still in a great position. They are 8-1 and were given an initial ranking of six in the first release by the selection committee. The win bumped Penn State to No. 4 in the AP Poll. If they can finish with wins over Purdue, Minnesota, and Maryland, the Nittany Lions will almost certainly be hosting a playoff game. This projection has Penn State welcoming the Ole Miss Rebels to Happy Valley. What to do with the two-loss jumble in the SEC? Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M, Missouri, and Ole Miss all have two losses. Georgia lost to Alabama and Ole Miss but had a huge win over Texas. Alabama has won over Georgia, LSU, and Missouri but lost to Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Ole Miss has an ugly home loss to Kentucky and a loss to LSU, but blowout wins over South Carolina, Arkansas, and a big win over Georgia. In short, it’s a big mess, and no one knows how the selection committee will unwind things. Ole Miss jumped to tenth in the AP Poll and landed as the 11-seed in this bracket.
