Despite a sloppy first half, Penn State freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux took over for an ill Sean Clifford and threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns (and added 36 rushing yards) to lead the Nittany Lions to a 28-0 win over Rutgers and national votes.
While the Lions aren’t ranked, the AP Poll and USA TODAY Coaches both feature the Lions receiving votes. At 7-4, with a shell-shocked Michigan State sqaud up next, the Lions have a chance to reach nine wins this season.
POLL ALERT: Ohio State jumps to No. 2 behind Georgia; Alabama, Cincinnati and Notre Dame round out top 5 in AP Top 25; Oregon, Michigan State fall.
Full poll presented by @askRegions >> https://t.co/POrh6BQ96P pic.twitter.com/iZFMiGdyDy
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) November 21, 2021
Georgia (1,550 points, 62 first-place votes) hammered a Charleston Southern squad that had no chance Saturday, remaining unbeaten and the consensus No. 1 team in the nation. Ohio State (1,434 points) rode a historic first half against then-No. 7 Michigan State to jump ahead of Alabama (1,423 points) and Cincinnati (1,416 points). Notre Dame (1,262 points) capitalized on an Oregon upset to rise into the Top 5.
Michigan (1,246 points), Oklahoma State (1,209 points), Ole Miss (1,060 points), Baylor (1,046 points) and Oklahoma (1,001 points) all also capitalized on Oregon’s sharp descent, moving up inside the Top 10.
Ohio State’s 56-7 dismantling of Michigan State put the rest of the Big Ten — and the country — on notice. OSU’s CJ Stroud’s incredible performance (32-of-35 for 432 yards and six touchdowns) put him toward the top of the Heisman leaderboard.
With Ohio State-Michigan meeting next week at the Big House, the Big Ten could be decided in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan State (778 points) dropped out of the Top 10 with the loss, and Iowa (538 points) and Wisconsin (517 points) remain inside the Top 20, checking in at No. 17 and 18, respectively, off of wins on Saturday.
Penn State (26 points) and Purdue (three points) check in as the Big Ten teams in the “Also receiving votes” category.
By virtue of its rout against Pac-12 rival Oregon, @Utah_Football jumped into the top 20 of this week's USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Check out the entire rankings and results ➡️ https://t.co/Q3ukNRPX0R pic.twitter.com/ztkrERTeuR
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) November 21, 2021
The Week 12 Coaches Poll isn’t much different than the AP, with Alabama (1,450 points) and Ohio State (1,428 points) flip-flopped at No. 2 and 3, respectively. Georgia (1,550 points and 62 first-place votes) is the consensus top-ranked team in the nation, while Cincinnati (1,388 points) and Notre Dame (1,258 points) round out the Top 5.
Michigan (1,250 points), Oklahoma State (1,210 points), Ole Miss (1,049 points), Oklahoma (1,010 points) and Baylor (977 points) complete a pretty similar Top 10. Oregon (864 points) and Michigan State (698 points) both tumbled with losses, to No. 11 and 13, respectively.
Iowa (722 points) checks in at No. 12, jumping ahead of Michigan State, while Wisconsin (485 points) also jumped two spots to No. 18.
Penn State (22 points) and Purdue (10 points) rank fourth and sixth among teams in the “Others Receiving Votes” category.
The Lions will travel to East Lansing, Michigan to face off against Michigan State on Saturday.
To check out the full polls, click here for the AP, and here for the Coaches.
