It was a great feeling when Penn State finally got back in the win column last weekend. The team thoroughly outplayed the Purdue Boilermakers for much of the game, and it resulted in a convincing 31-17 win.
While it was good for the Nittany Lions’ hopes for a Bowl Game and to reassure future commits, it didn’t do much to change the outlook of their season. ESPN updated its Football Power Index after the Week 9 slate, and Penn State didn’t improve much.
Its power score is now up to 12.2, a 0.3-point increase from last week, which takes the team up one spot on the list to No. 29.
Unsurprisingly, the odds of the Nittany Lions winning the Big Ten or making the College Football Playoff are still at 0%. There just aren’t enough games left to make up
ground in the conference, and four losses may not even be good enough to get into a 24-team playoff format.
But it could be good for Penn State that the bigger expectations are finally off its back. The blue and white know all they can play for is a Bowl Game, so perhaps it will allow them to play loose and free mentally.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State stagnant on Football Power Index despite win over Purdue
