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In case you are unaware, your 2014 Penn State Nittany Lions officially became bowl eligible upon the completion of their victory over Temple this weekend. It took longer than some expected, especially after the 4-0 start, but all that matters now is that these Lions will finally be rewarded for their regular season efforts with a trip to a warm and comfortable location to play in a bowl game...or they'll go to New York or Detroit.
Penn State's re-admittance into this wonderful time of year not only gives Mike Hull and co. a chance to play in one more meaningful game to end the season, but it gives us the chance to wildly speculate on who we will play and where!! Here is the full list of possible bowl games and the tie-ins that go along with them.
The Holiday Bowl
Location: San Diego (CA)
Date: December 27th, 2014
Matchup: Big Ten (2-4) vs. Pac-12 (3)
The Citrus Bowl
Location: Orlando (FL)
Date: January 1st, 2015
Matchup: Big Ten (2-4) vs. SEC (2)
The Outback Bowl (aka: The Matt McGloin Interception Bowl)
Location: Tampa (FL)
Date: January 1st, 2015
Matchup: Big Ten (2-4) vs. SEC (3-8)
The New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Location: New York (NY)
Date: December 27th, 2014
Matchup: Big Ten (5-7) vs. ACC (3-6)/Notre Dame
The TaxSlayer Bowl
Location: Jacksonville (FL)
Date: January 2nd, 2015
Matchup: Big Ten (5-7)/ACC (3-6) vs. SEC (3-8)
The San Francisco Bowl
Location: Santa Clara (CA)
Date: December 30th, 2014
Matchup: Big Ten (5-7) vs. Pac-12 (4)
The Quick Lane Bowl
Location: Detroit (MI)
Date: December 26th, 2014
Matchup: Big Ten (MAC Backup) vs. ACC (MAC Backup)
The Music City Bowl
Location: Nashville (TN)
Date: December 30th, 2014
Matchup: Big Ten (5-7)/ACC (3-6) vs. SEC (3-8)
The Armed Forces Bowl
Location: Fort Worth (TX)
Date: January 2nd, 2015
Matchup: Big Ten/Big 12/Army vs. American
The Heart of Dallas Bowl
Location: Dallas (TX)
Date: December 26th, 2014
Matchup: Big Ten/Big 12 vs. C-USA
Then there's also the Orange Bowl and the College Football Playoff, but we don't need to worry about those...yet.
That leaves 10 possible bowl games for the Nittany Lions to be invited to (obviously there is still the matter of figuring out the final seeding for the Big Ten, but we won'r worry about that right now). At this moment in time, the most likely possible destinations for Penn State seem to be The Pinstripe Bowl (New York), The San Francisco Bowl (where do you think?), the Music City Bowl (Nashville), or The TaxSlayer Bowl (Jacksonville).
In my mind, there are more than a few different intriguing possibilities for the Nittany Lions. Two stand out above the rest for me, though.
Scenario #1: The Pinstripe Bowl against Notre Dame.
This is probably the one that fans will clamor for the most. The chance to go up against Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish for the first time since 2007. The chance to show off what might be the best defense in the country, against the dynamic Everett Golson. The chance to get a little bit of payback for the flip of four star 2015 QB Brandon Wimbush. There are a lot of reasons to like the matchup. Time will tell if Notre Dame is able to finagle their way into a more prestigious bowl, but this would be a slam dunk for both the NCAA and Yankee Stadium/New Era. A matchup between arguably the two most popular teams in that region of the country would likely lead to an attendance record being broken.
Plus, I'd get to go to the game. So win-win.
Scenario #2: The San Francisco Bowl against California
In what would surely be called The Sandy Barbour Bowl, this would allow for the would to see Barbour's current school go up against her previous one. Not to mention that it would probably be a pretty good game on the field, as well. Cal's quarterback, Jared Goff, has had himself a nice season, posting 3,398 passing yards and a 30/4 TD/INT ratio. Plus, it would give Penn State a chance to play in the 49ers' brand new, beautiful Levi's Stadium.
Right now, our SB Nation overlords have Penn State projected to fulfill my Pinstripe Bowl fantasy, and take on Notre Dame in Yankee Stadium. But this isn't about what the man thinks. It's about what you think. So tell me, which bowl game are you most interested in seeing Penn State play in, and why? Is there a certain opponent you would most like to go up against?