BCS Standings 2011: Bowl Outlook for Penn State Football

The Penn State Nittany Lions come in at No. 21 in the first edition of the 2011 BCS rankings. Penn State is 6-1 heading into their Week 8 matchup against Northwestern.

The Nittany Lions are 3-0 in Big Ten games. That leaves them at the top of the Leaders Division. Wisconsin is a national championship contender but the Badgers only have two conference victories so far.

Penn State's surprising start puts them in position to be a contender at season's end. Games against Wisconsin and Illinois still loom large for the Nittany Lions. Nebraska and Ohio State are still there as well.

Right now, Penn State's bowl outlook is great. But with the tough second-half schedule, that could change in a hurry.

Gator Bowl

The Nittany Lions could be looking at the Gator Bowl. A fourth-place finish in the Big Ten would give the Nittany Lions the sixth-best team in the SEC.

At this point, a fourth-place finish would be a disappointment for Penn State. If the Nittany Lions don't play focused their remaining schedule will not forgive them.

Penn State isn't familiar with the Gator Bowl, and chances are they won't be familiar with the team they meet there.

Keep winning, and they won't have to worry about it.

Outback Bowl

Penn State has played in the Outback Bowl in 2006 and 2010. The Nittany Lions beat Tennessee in 2006 and lost to Florida in 2010.

If Penn State falls to third place they will face the third- or fourth-place team from the SEC in familiar territory. It could possibly be the Gators again.

The Outback Bowl traditionally provides good matchups. Above average teams with nothing to lose.

Penn State can shoot higher than this, but the Outback Bowl is a respectable bowl to end the season with.

Capital One Bowl

Penn State has played the Capital One Bowl twice in recent years. The Nittany Lions lost to Auburn in 2002 and beat LSU in 2009.

The second-place team in the Big Ten heads to the Capital One Bowl. Penn State is very much in the running for this game.

The Nittany Lions could be looking at any number of tough SEC opponents if they head to Orlando. They have played their last two SEC foes tough in the postseason.

With this year's defense in Happy Valley, they could make things interesting once again.

Sugar Bowl

Penn State will have to play perfect the rest of the way if they want to head to the Sugar Bowl, but it is possible.

The Nittany Lions would face the top team from the SEC. Ask Ohio State, that isn't fun.

Obviously, a Sugar Bowl berth is going to require the Nittany Lions to have a little luck on their side. For an at-large bid, the Nittany Lions are going to have to win the rest of their contests but not win the Big Ten. Sounds unlikely, but it's college football.

The Nittany Lions would likely face the loser of Alabama and LSU's November 5th matchup in Tuscaloosa. It's hard to imagine either of those teams losing more than one time.

Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl is the absolute best case scenario for Penn State. Winning the Big Ten would give Penn State the chance to play the winner of the Pac-12.

It would be shocking for Penn State to make this happen. The Nittany Lions' second-half schedule is brutal. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Illinois all lie in wait.

A Rose Bowl berth would most likely pit Penn State against either Stanford or Oregon. Two offenses to challenge the dominant Penn State defense.

The Nittany Lions will have to win out, and maybe cross their fingers, if they want a trip to Pasadena.