According to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Rose Bowl has signed an agreement that will allow the College Football Playoffs to expand from four to 12 teams starting in the 2024 season. The College Football Playoffs currently in its ninth season has consisted of four teams since 2014.
Prior to the Rose Bowl signing the agreement to allow expansion in 2024, the College Football Playoffs would originally not have expanded until 2026, when the television rights deal for the College Football Playoffs would have expired.
What does it mean for Penn State?
Penn State on paper will be one of the biggest benefactors of the College Football Playoff expansion. The Nittany Lions in five of the last seven seasons would've made the College Football Playoffs, including this year as they'll finish inside the top 12 in the final CFP rankings that are released next Sunday.
Additionally, it will also provide the Nittany Lions to potentially host College Football Playoff games in the month of December at Beaver Stadium. As part of the College Football Playoff expansion, the higher seeds in the first round will be able to host home playoff games. For example, based on this previous week's College Football Playoffs rankings, the No. 8 Nittany Lions would host the No. 9 Clemson Tigers.
Following the first round, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and of course, the College Football Playoff National Championship Game would all be played at neutral sites. The top four seeds are expected to have byes in the new playoff format with first-round matchups as follows; No. 5 vs No. 12, No. 6 vs No. 11, No. 7 vs No. 10, No. 8 vs No. 9
Who would Penn State have faced in previous years?
Interested to see who Penn State would've played in the past years in which they would've made the College Football Playoffs? Let's take a look.
2022: (10-2, 7-2) - The final rankings have yet to come out but as mentioned above the Nittany Lions would host the No.9 ranked Clemson Tigers.
2021: (7-5, 4-5) - Failed to qualify.
2020: (4-5, 4-5) - Failed to qualify
2019: (10-2, 7-2) - Penn State finished as the No.10 team in the final 2019 College Football Playoff rankings, they would've taken on, No. 7 Baylor in Waco.
2018: (8-4, 6-3) - Penn State would've been the final team in the 2018 College Football Playoffs and would've traveled to Athens to take on No. 5 Georgia.
2017: (10-2, 7-2) - The Nittany Lions would've been the No. 9 seed and would've faced No. 8 USC in Los Angeles.
2016: (11-2, 8-1) - Penn State in 2016, coming off their Big Ten Championship would've hosted No.12 Florida State.
2015: (7-5, 4-4) - Failed to qualify
2014: (7-6 - 2-6) - Failed to qualify
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