Penn State has stayed the same in the latest AP Poll but moved up in the Coaches Poll.
After No. 3 Texas lost to No. 12 Oklahoma, some thought PSU might move into the top five in both polls.
Instead, Oklahoma is No. 5 in the AP Poll and Penn State is No. 6. The Sooners are 6-0– one more win than Penn State— and have a win over a top-five team, which Penn State doesn’t. Also ahead of Penn State are Georgia, which stayed at No. 1, Big Ten foes Michigan and Ohio State, who are No. 2 and 3, and Florida State at No. 4. Penn State takes on Ohio State in 13 days in Columbus in a matchup that will presumably be on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff.
Penn State had a bye week this past weekend. Through five games, PSU is 5-0 with four of those wins being by 20 points or more. Penn State’s most recent game was Sept. 30th at Northwestern. PSU overcame a sluggish first half that ended with the teams tied at 10 to win, 41-13. The only game that Penn State win by fewer than 20 points was against Illinois in Week 3. Like Northwestern, Penn State struggled in the first half, but recovered enough in the second half to win by double digits.
Penn State’s next biggest game is three weeks later. No. 2 Michigan comes to Beaver Stadium for another Big Noon matchup. Coach James Franklin is a combined 4-14 against Ohio State and Michigan, and could go a long way toward changing that narrative with a win over at least one of them this season.
Before playing Ohio State, Penn State has to take on UMass. That game shouldn’t be a problem. UMass is 1-5 and just lost to Toledo at home.
