Penn State College Football Playoff Odds: What are PSU's Playoff Chances?

Latest Penn State CFP Odds

The table below provides a quick overview of PSU's College Football Playoff odds and other related futures markets for the 2024 season. The odds below have been pulled from several operators, such as bet365 PA Sportsbook, and the percentage next to each set of odds represents the implied probability for each market.

When it comes to futures bets like the ones listed above, I always suggest checking multiple Pennsylvania sports betting apps before placing any wagers because odds in these markets tend to vary much more than other bet types. 

What are Penn State's Odds to Make the College Football Playoffs?

Penn State's CFP odds are -1400 or shorter on most legal sportsbooks. Converted to an implied probability, this means the Lions have a 93.3% chance to make the playoffs this year. Looking specifically at BetMGM Sportsbook PA, Penn State currently has the fifth-shortest playoff odds at -2000. Among the Big Ten, there are only two teams with shorter odds to make the playoffs: Ohio State (-5000) and Oregon (-10000).

Will Penn State Make the Playoffs?

Heading into Week 13 of the college football season, Penn State has put itself in a strong spot to make the playoffs. With the field being expanded to 12 teams this year, it should certainly help teams like PSU who have been knocking on the postseason door for the past few seasons but have continually fallen short.

To this point, the Lions have avoided one of their marquee losses to an inferior opponent. The loss to Ohio State hurts the fanbase more than anything, as it was another year of not being able to beat a weaker-than-usual Buckeye team. For CFP purposes, a loss to the No. 4 team in the country won't be considered a huge blemish in the eyes of the playoff committee.

Penn State Football Playoff Scenarios

With the college football playoffs right around the corner, I'll keep this section updated on how Penn State can make its first postseason appearance. In reality, it's pretty simple when it comes to college football: don't lose. Penn State currently has one loss on the season which came to OSU who was the No. 4 team in the country at the time. As noted above, this would be considered a "quality loss" in the eyes of the CFP committee, so Penn State is still in a really strong spot to make the playoffs.

With three games remaining on their schedule, Penn State just has to win out and the Lions will secure a playoff spot. Playing for a Big Ten title is likely out of the question outside of pure chaos happening across the conference. Either way, as long as the team can avoid a devastating loss, Penn State will be in the playoffs this year.

Penn State Playoff Standings

Heading into Week 11, we got the first set of rankings from the College Football Playoff Committee -- the group of folks who ultimately decide each team's fate for the postseason. Penn State opened as the No. 6 team in the CFP rankings, and I'll update this section with the latest College Football Playoff rankings once they are released each week.

Latest News Impacting Penn State Football Playoff Odds

Here are the latest pieces of news and updates that could impact the odds of Penn State making the College Football Playoffs.

• 🗓️ November 16: The Lions' offense continues to roll, putting up 49 points in their win over Purdue.
• 🗓️ November 12: Head coach James Franklin announces star RB Nick Singleton is dealing with a "short-term" injury. Singleton was banged up earlier in the year but it's unknown if the injuries are related.
• 🗓️ November 9: The Nittany Lions bounce back with a dominant 35-6 win over Washington.
• 🗓️ November 2: Penn State falls short to the Buckeyes, 13-20.
• 🗓️ October 26: Despite losing QB Drew Allar for the final two quarters of the game, Penn State beats Wisconsin on the road 28-13.
• 🗓️ October 12: After trailing 17-3 at halftime, Penn State rallies back and picks up a massive win against USC in overtime, 33-30.
• 🗓️ October 5: In their first matchup against one of the new Big 10 additions, the Lions beat UCLA 27-11.
• 🗓️ September 28: Penn State picks up their first win over a ranked opponent, 21-7 over Illinois.
• 🗓️ September 21: Coming off a bye week, the offense finally takes off, taking down Kent State 56-0.
• 🗓️ September 7: The Lions narrowly escape a disastrous upset, beating Bowling Green 34-27.
• 🗓️ August 31: Penn State takes care of business in Morgantown, winning 34-12.
• 🗓️ August 13: Penn State opens the season at No. 8 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll.

Penn State Football Schedule 2024

Penn State Football Outlook and Playoff Prediction

Much of Penn State's 2024 season will come down to what happens on offense. Can Penn State move the ball, put up points, and help keep the defense off the field? If new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki can recreate what he achieved at Kansas, the answer to the questions above will be a resounding yes. Whether that happens, however, remains to be seen. Penn State will now have its sixth different offensive coordinator in the James Franklin era, and there have been plenty of rumblings that Franklin meddles in the OC's plans too often. 

Beyond the change at offensive coordinator, Drew Allar will have to take the next step in his development without the luxury of a proven receiving room. Tight end Tyler Warren and wide receiver transfer Julian Fleming are likely to lead the pass catchers. The one area where there aren't any questions is running back. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will lead the way in what is one of the most underrated RB duos in the entire country.

Defensively, there is another new face as Tom Allen will replace Manny Diaz who took the head coaching gig at Duke. Allen is no stranger to Penn State, as he joins the program after being the Indiana Hoosiers HC for seven years. Diaz led one of the most dominant defenses for the past two seasons, so as long as Allen isn't completely over his skis, Penn State should field one of the top defensive units once again.

One of the biggest issues we've seen from Penn State through the first several weeks is the team comes out too slow. The offense doesn't really get going until the second half and Tom Allen can't seem to make adjustments on the fly. The USC game exemplified this and while PSU has gotten away with it so far, they simply can't expect to get away with this all year. With just six games remaining, including a massive one against Ohio State, there isn't much time left to correct this problem.

Author

Cody Kutzer

@CKutzerFF

Cody Kutzer has been covering the sports betting and gambling space for several years and has been losing his parlay bets for even longer. He currently serves as an editor, writer, and fact-checker for PennStakes.com to ensure readers have the latest and most accurate information surrounding PA sports betting.