Did Penn State football increase its ranking in the AP Poll?
The answer to that question is yes, but slightly.
Penn State came into Saturday’s 59-0 win at Kent State ranked No. 10 and came out of it ranked No. 9.
Penn State is behind Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miami and Oregon in the AP Poll.
Penn State plays Ohio State in a Nov. 2 showdown at Beaver Stadium.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Michigan is up to No. 12 after upsetting USC. USC has moved down from No. 12 to No. 13. Penn State’s next opponent, Illinois, is up to No. 19 after upsetting Nebraska on the road Friday night.
Penn State doesn’t play Michigan this season but does have USC Oct. 12 in the Coliseum.
PSU moved from No. 9 to No. 8 in the FPI, which is five spots lower than Ohio State and three lower than where Penn State was after its Week 1 win at West Virginia.
Ahead of Penn State are Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Miami.
Penn State is now ahead of Notre Dame, who moved down two spots after its bye week.
Notre Dame is still ranked No. 9 in the index despite an embarrassing loss at home to Northern Illinois Sept. 7.
For Penn State to make the playoff, beating Illinois is likely a must. PSU is an early three touchdown favorite in that game, which is encouraging on the surface. But Penn State was a four-touchdown favorite against Illinois the last time it came to Beaver Stadium in 2021. I think we all remember how that turned out.
