Penn State football bowl projections: Where Lions are slotted before Week 2

Before it beat Wisconsin 16-10 in Madison, the Penn State Nittany Lions were projected to play on Jan. 1 but not in a New Year's Six bowl game.

Now, new predictions are in after the thrilling victory to kick off the season, and all have head coach James Franklin's program going to a place it has already been to during his tenure.

Early in each week as the season unfolds, Blue-White Illustrated will take a look at the latest expert projections and also offer our own opinion on what the likeliest option of all is.

Away we go to see where the Lions could eventually go away to.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports: Fiesta Bowl vs. Cincinnati

College Football News Staff: Rose Bowl vs. Oregon

Kyle Bonagua of ESPN: Rose Bowl vs. UCLA

Mark Schlabach of ESPN: Citrus Bowl vs. Florida

Action Network: Rose Bowl vs. UCLA

What a difference winning makes!

Outside of the one ESPN projection that still has the Lions in the Citrus Bowl conversation, every other national outlet with projections out predicts a return to the Rose Bowl, and who are we to disagree at this early juncture?

The only tricky matter he is, what if Iowa beats Wisconsin for a spot in the Big Ten title game, only to lose to Ohio State (who, of course, would be there by virtue of beating Penn State State)? Then, the Hawkeyes might be headed to Pasadena, but then again, the outcome of the Nittany Lions matchup with Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in October could go a long way toward deciding that.

Obviously, it's very early and this is even more for entertainment now than it will be later in the year, but as PSU prepares for Ball State, who doesn't want to stop and think about playing in "The Granddaddy of Them All" for just a minute?

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