Penn State earned a top 10 ranking in the Football Writers’ Association of America-National Football Foundation Super 16 Preseason Poll. PSU was placed in the No. 7 spot when the list was released Tuesday.
The No. 7 Super 16 ranking also matches Penn State’s spot in the first edition of the FBS rankings.
Penn State’s 540 points put the team 77 behind No. 6 USC (617). Georgia nearly unanimously earned the top ranking after receiving 51 of 59 first-place votes and tallying 927 points.
Michigan (855 points), Ohio State (776), Alabama (748) and LSU (673) round out the top five spots. Michigan received six first-place votes and Ohio State had two.
This is Georgia’s 21st appearance as the No. 1 team in the poll while being the first ever No. 1 preseason ranking for the Bulldogs. Georgia’s 21 appearances in the top spot rank second most all-time, behind only Alabama’s 61 appearances at No. 1.
The SEC and Pac-12 led all conferences with four teams, followed by the Big Ten with three. The ACC and Big 12 had two each and FBS Independents recorded one.
The eventual national champion has been ranked in the top six of the preseason poll seven times since 2015. Alabama is the only national champion to start the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll (2017).
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF) voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Sunday of the 2023 season. The first regular-season poll will go out Tuesday, Sept. 5.
