Penn State is ranked in the top eight of both the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.
Coach James Franklin’s team is No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 7 in the Coaches.
After its 35-16 win over Michigan State Saturday at Beaver Stadium, Penn State moved from No. 11 in the AP and 10 in the Coaches, the first time that its been ranked that highly in either of the two polls.
Penn State is No. 8 in the AP Poll.
Fair or Foul?
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) November 27, 2022
As expected, Penn State finished the regular season as one of three ranked Big Ten teams.
The other two, Ohio State and Michigan, played in arguably the most anticipated game of the college football season this past Saturday in Columbus.
No. 2 Ohio State came in as a an 8-point home favorite against its rival, ranked third. Michigan got the upset, 45-23, and now is ranked ahead of the hated Buckeyes in both polls. Michigan is No. 2, ahead of Ohio State at No. 5 in each. Georgia remains No. 1 in both polls after beating rival Georgia Tech. TCU moved up from No. 4 to No. 3 in both after its 62-14 win over Iowa State. USC is No. 4 right now, and assuming the College Football Playoff committee sees things the same way, the Trojans will be in the Playoff as long as they beat Utah in the Pac-12 Championship this coming Friday.
Penn State won’t be in the Big Ten championship game. Both of its losses— to Ohio State and Michigan, respectively— were in conference play, and therefore, Penn State finished third in the Big Ten East despite finishing the regular season 10-2.
Penn State now awaits where it will play its bowl game. It’s possible that Penn State will be in the Rose Bowl for the fifth time in school history and first since the end of the 2016 season.
