Elsewhere, ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura have Penn State in the field as well. Both project Penn State playing a road game as the No. 9 seed: Schlabach has Penn State heading to Oregon, Bonagura pits the Nittany Lions vs. Georgia.

Using PennLive reporter Johnny McGonigal's AP top 25 ballot, here are where the Nittany Lions stand in the CFP picture.

Alabama returned to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in two years after its big victory over Georgia. Penn State climbed two spots to No. 7 in the Associated Press college football poll after a 21-7 victory over Illinois on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

Despite the success that Illinois had prior to the game, the oddsmakers were still all over Penn State in this one. The Nittany Lions came into this game as massive favorites as the line favored them by 17.5 points, but the Fighting Illini ended up showing that they can compete with the best teams in the Big Ten.

When Penn State coach James Franklin recruited La Salle College high school standout Abdul Carter, Franklin wanted Carter to be a defensive end. Carter, a four-star recruit, committed to Penn State, but he and his dad resisted a position change from linebacker.

Penn State is back on track after a feel-good 56-0 win over Kent State last Saturday, where eight different players accounted for the team’s eight touchdowns.