College football fans will be glued to their TVs this weekend. Friday and Saturday offer a full slate of conference championship games. Then, on Sunday, the College Football Playoff committee will reveal which teams are in the national semifinals and which teams secure bids to a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Peach Bowl CEO and president Gary Stokan will be among those intently watching ESPN on Sunday, waiting to find out which teams will play Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Stokan, despite being the Peach Bowl president for 26 years, won’t know which teams will come to Atlanta until everyone else in America does.

“It’s like Christmas. You’re sitting there waiting to open the two presents to see who you get the chance to host,” Stokan told PennLive. “Being in the New Year’s Six, we can’t go wrong with Penn State, Alabama, Texas, Missouri, Oregon, any of these teams.”

The Peach Bowl is one of the potential bowl destinations for the Nittany Lions, who were ranked No. 10 by the CFP committee Tuesday. Penn State finished a 10-2 regular season with a 42-0 drubbing of Michigan State on Black Friday at Ford Field. The Nittany Lions, whose losses have come to Michigan and Ohio State, have a strong NY6 case.

Penn State could earn an at-large bid into the Cotton Bowl (Dec. 29; Arlington, Texas) or the Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1; Glendale, Ariz.). But Stokan is hoping the Nittany Lions make their first appearance in the Peach Bowl, which has been around since 1968.

“I’ve followed Penn State my whole life,” the Pittsburgh native said. “Their brand is fantastic. Any time you can put 110,000 people in the stands every weekend, it’s remarkable. Being up there for a Whiteout, it’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in this business. Great fan base. Great defense. Big-name quarterback. It would be great to have Penn State.”

Stokan also has a relationship with James Franklin, whom he first met when the Penn State coach was Maryland’s offensive coordinator under Ralph Friedgen from 2008-10.

“He’s a quality guy,” Stokan said. “He does a great job, obviously. They’ve been to numerous New Year’s Six games. Would love to have the opportunity to work with him and Penn State.”

Problem is, Stokan doesn’t make that call. It’s going to come down to what happens this weekend in those conference championship games.

The Orange Bowl is definitely out of the realm of possibility for Penn State. After the CFP field is set, the Orange Bowl has a contractual obligation to take the ACC champion or the highest-ranked ACC team — Florida State or Louisville — and pair them with the highest-ranked team out of the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame. Ohio State, ranked No. 6, is looking likely.

The remaining NY6 games, with the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl serving as the semifinal hosts, are the aforementioned Peach, Cotton and Fiesta with no conference ties. That’s six at-large spots.

One spot is reserved for the highest-ranked Group of Five team, currently Tulane. The loser of Friday’s Pac-12 title game between No. 3 Washington and No. 5 Oregon will earn an at-large NY6 berth. So would No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Alabama and No. 9 Missouri, as things stand. If No. 4 Florida State loses or is simply left out of the CFP, the Seminoles would take a NY6 berth left behind by whichever teams takes it place among the top four.

That leaves Penn State at No. 10, securing the final NY6 spot. But that hinges on Texas and Michigan taking care of business. The Longhorns play No. 20 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game. The No. 2 Wolverines play No. 16 Iowa in the Big Ten title game.

Power 5 conference champions receive an automatic NY6 bid. So if Oklahoma State or Iowa win this weekend, that would knock Penn State out of consideration for the Peach, Cotton and Fiesta bowls.

Of course, that isn’t likely. Iowa is a 24-point underdog to Michigan, and Oklahoma State is a 14-point underdog to Texas. But crazier things have happened.

“You’re rooting for chalk if you’re Penn State,” Stokan said.

If Penn State does get left out of the NY6, an invite to the Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1; Orlando) is likely in the cards. The Nittany Lions would play an SEC team, possibly Ole Miss or LSU.

For the time being, it’s all a waiting game. And everyone — Stokan, included — will find out Penn State’s fate Sunday afternoon.

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