Penn State football jumps into top 5 of national championship odds

It feels like just yesterday that we were talking about fall camp position battles and preseason power rankings. Now, as the calendar flips to October, we’re officially at the midway point of the college football season. Like most teams, Penn State football hasn’t looked perfect through 5 games. But the Nittany Lions have still proven themselves to be one of the best teams in the country to this point. Penn State football is firmly entrenched in the College Football Playoff picture heading into the stretch run of the season. There’s some title talk brewing in Happy Valley as well, as the Nittany Lions have vaulted into the top 5 of national championship odds.

Penn State football now has top 5 national championship odds

Coming into the year, Penn State football was in the national title conversation as a darkhorse candidate. Now sitting at 5-0, the Nittany Lions have jumped into bonafide contender status. New rankings published by On3 this week give Penn State +1,200 odds to win the national championship, according to FanDuel. Up from +2,000 in the preseason, Penn State now has the 5th best odds in America of winning the title this year.

Penn State football finds itself amid several perennial national title contenders in the updated odds. Georgia (+250) and Michigan (+350) have the best odds currently, while Ohio State and Florida State are tied with +900 odds. The full top 10, according to On3, is below.

College Football National Championship Odds via @FDSportsbook🏆

Who would you take after Week 6?

More: https://t.co/PVhhLvubnQ pic.twitter.com/4F8Hdl1PWx

— On3 (@On3sports) October 9, 2023

This is just the latest surge Penn State has seen nationally. ESPN’s College Football Playoff prediction also gives the Nittany Lions the 5th best odds of making the final 4, better than Georgia and Michigan. SP+ résumé rankings also place Penn State as the No. 1 team in the nation. 

Toughest tests still lie ahead

The hype train for Penn State football is officially up and rolling. But the tests that the Nittany Lions still face can’t be overlooked. James Franklin’s team comes off a bye week as a near six-score favorite against UMass this week. But after that, things get really real, really fast for the Nittany Lions.

Next week, Penn State travels to Columbus to face off against Ohio State. Just announced as Fox’s Big Noon game, the Nittany Lions are an early two-score underdog. ESPN analytics currently gives Ohio State a 66% win probability. 

After games against Indiana and a Maryland team that hung with the Buckeyes for 3 quarters, Penn State welcomes Michigan to Beaver Stadium on November 11. The Wolverines are considered by many to be the best team in the nation. But the Nittany Lions currently sit as the slight favorite. ESPN analytics gives James Franklin a 56% likelihood of pulling the upset.

By this time next month, we’ll have a better sense of whether Penn State football is a national championship contender or pretender. Even if the Nittany Lions don’t escape this stretch run unscathed, the odds of making the Playoff as an at-large are high. But for now, we can only watch what unfolds on the field over the next month.

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