Penn State, fans should look past any perceived NY6 bowl snub; if Citrus, make lemonade

Penn State teeters on the New Year’s 6 bowl bubble. Judging from the internet chatter, plenty of Nittany Lions fans are worked up about it.

I don’t see why.

This is not the NCAA Basketball bubble. The “other four” NY6 games are not part of the tournament. For the Lions, that shipped sailed with the hangover loss to Michigan State and sank against Michigan.

You gotta hand it to the college football power brokers: They’ve somehow sold the masses on the idea that certain meaningless bowl games carry way more prestige than others. Here’s a shiny object to fawn over while we continue to perpetrate the worst playoff system in the history of sports.

Right now, Penn State seems destined for either the NY6 Peach Bowl or the Citrus Bowl. Rankings guru Jerry Palm puts the Lions in the latter barring major chaos this coming weekend.

Here’s how those two bowls match up:

Peach: This “NY6” bowl is scheduled for SATURDAY, DEC. 29 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It might be worth the trip to experience the still shiny-new, retractable roof venue — home of the NFL’s Falcons. But I’m not otherwise sold on Atlanta as a holiday vacation spot. It’s generally miserable to get there by plane or car, and the AccuWeather extended forecast calls for a rainy weekend and a game-day high temperature of 49 degrees.

Citrus: This “non-NY6” game is slated for TUESDAY, JAN. 1 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The venue is no match for the one in Atlanta and holds roughly 16,000 fewer fans. But the forecast calls for temperatures in the 70s from the weekend through New Year’s Day.

If the dominoes fall a certain way this Saturday, this specific argument becomes moot. I’m more interested in the general question of what’s best for Penn State football. The faux prestige of a NY6 selection ranks low on my list of priorities.

With no conference or national title at stake, the Lions are chasing momentum and positive perception to carry into next season. A final 10-3 record will carry more weight for their 2019 preseason ranking than the perceived quality of the long-since-forgotten bowl opponent.

Penn State is ranked 12th by the Playoff committee, 12th by the coaches, and 14th by the AP. That’s as on-the-bubble as it gets.

If the Lions make the cut, they’ll draw a tough opponent and face a higher risk of finishing 9-4, while most likely playing in a “NY6” bowl that occurs on Dec. 29 — vying for attention against the national semifinal games that also will be played that Saturday.

If things hold to form and Palm is correct, they will play on New Year’s Day in the highest-payout non-NY6 bowl against AP No. 16 Kentucky (9-3). The upstart Wildcats make for a nice story, but if the Lions are going to draw an SEC opponent, I’ll take UK over LSU this time around. The risk/reward of playing a more challenging foe doesn’t seem worth it. Penn State’s final ranking will hinge on winning its game and the fallout from the other bowls. Beating a higher-ranked opponent would assure a gain of one spot — a spot they might luck into anyway.

What good comes from making the NY6? The B1G shares bowl revenue, so Penn State derives no direct financial benefit from sneaking in to the party.

I tip my Penn State cap to the fans who argue for playing the most challenging opponent available in the most entertaining matchup possible.

Otherwise, this hang-up with making the NY6 comes off as a cry for attention and undue recognition. An invite to the adult table supposedly would provide acknowledgement that PSU — despite this season’s hiccups — is as close to elite status as fans want to believe. Sorry, but making a manufactured cutoff doesn’t carry such significance.

With its No. 12 ranking, the Playoff committee sees Penn State in the best possible light. The Lions boast no wins against current AP Top 25 teams and only one against a team (Iowa) that was ranked at the time. Texas A&M (8-4) slots seven rungs below Penn State despite wins over currently ranked teams LSU and Kentucky. Two of the losses for the AP No. 22 Aggies came against the top two teams in the country, Alabama and Clemson, and they played each of those closer than any other opponent this season.

A&M gets penalized for daring to schedule Clemson — rather than, say, Appalachian State — and then losing to the Tigers 28-26 when a last-minute 2-point try fails. There are probably another handful of teams that could make a case to be ranked above the Nittany Lions. Perhaps arguments can be made for moving the Lions up a notch or two.

It’s a beauty pageant. Even for the final spot in the actual Playoff, the decision comes down the fickle eyes of the beholders on the committee.

James Franklin and the Nittany Lions play well to the judges. Over the past three seasons, they’ve dazzled them with Saquon Barkley, Trace McSorley, whiteouts with record attendance at Beaver Stadium and more. They’ve been fun, fresh and exciting. Even after myriad ugly moments this season, the Lions seemingly remain a good-looking bunch from afar.

Far from feeling snubbed, Penn State should be gratified simply to be on the NY6 bubble. For this holiday season, it’s far more important how the Lions play than where and when they play.

If they draw Kentucky and put a hurting on the Wildcats, that’s as good a scenario as any. Ideally, Yetur Gross-Matos and Micah Parsons have a national coming-out party in front of the ABC cameras as the rapidly improving defense dominates play. Ideally, McSorley orchestrates the offense and allows the line, the running game and the freshman receivers to take center stage.

Penn State doesn’t need any further affirmation from the selection committee this year. At this point, it’s all about getting a head start on next season’s beauty contest and maybe getting past the preliminaries for a shot at the actual crown.

Luke Glusco

Luke Glusco is a Penn State graduate and veteran journalist. He covers Penn State and occasionally writes about other Big Ten programs and topics. He also serves as the primary copy editor for Saturday Tradition.