For Temple, there was some suspense. For No. 9 Penn State, the only question was who they would play.
Both the Nittany Lions and Owls are officially bowl bound. Penn State learned Sunday that it will take on No. 12 Washington in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. in Glendale, Arizona. Temple will play Florida International in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.
Penn State, in the hunt for the College Football Playoffs for most of the season, lost two straight heartbreakers, 39-38 to No. 5 Ohio State on Oct. 28, and 27-24 to No. 18 Michigan State on Nov. 4. The Nittany Lions won their last three games, capped off by a 66-3 drubbing of Maryland last Saturday.
Junior running back Saquon Barkley, once a top Heisman Trophy contender and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, leads the Penn State offense. He has rushed for 1,134 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.
Their opponents had their playoff hopes derailed by a 13-7 upset to Arizona State on Oct 14. Washington and Penn State last played in the 1983 Aloha Bowl, which the Nittany Lions won, 13-10.
Temple sealed Bowl eligibility with a 45-22 win in its regular-season finale against Tulsa. The 6-6 Owls will face the 8-4 Florida International Panthers, who play in Conference USA.
For the first time in school history, Temple will play in a bowl game for a third straight year.
