Penn State football fell two spots to No. 12 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The Nittany Lions were previously ranked No. 10 but lost to No. 3 Michigan 24-15 last week at Beaver Stadium.

JUST IN: @PennStateFball is ranked No. 12 in this week's @CFBPlayoff rankings. pic.twitter.com/tXdnjw4rxn

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 15, 2023

The loss to Michigan handed Penn State an 8-2 record, thus eliminating it from College Football Playoff contention. No two-loss team has ever made the competition.

Penn State’s first loss was a 20-12 defeat at Ohio State. The Nittany Lions’ failure to produce offense in those two games led to the firing of now-former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich on Sunday. Yurcich went 0-6 against the Buckeyes and Wolverines in nearly three seasons on the job.

Despite its elimination from playoff contention, Penn State is still viewed as a likely invite to a New Year’s Six bowl game. The most frequently mentioned possibility is an inaugural trip to the Peach Bowl, while the Nittany Lions have also been projected to appear at the Fiesta Bowl for the first time since 2017. If selected, it would be James Franklin’s fifth appearance at a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Meanwhile, No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Florida State, and No. 5 Washington make up the top five, while No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Missouri, No. 10 Louisville, and No. 11 Oregon State round out the rest of the teams ranked above Penn State. Additionally, No. 16 Iowa is the only other ranked Big Ten team. 

Penn State has two more games remaining in the regular season, with the first against Rutgers at noon on Saturday, November 18, at Beaver Stadium. The final game is against Michigan State at 7:30 p.m. on Black Friday at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The Rutgers game will be televised on FS1, while the Michigan State contest will be on NBC.

The next College Football Playoff rankings will be released at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21, on ESPN.

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