Penn State came into Saturday’s game at USC knowing that a win would likely get it into the top three of the rankings.
With No. 2 Ohio State playing at No. 3 Oregon, somebody ahead of Penn State was going to lose, and it ended up being OSU in a 32-31 thriller.
Penn State played a thriller, too, and ended up with a 33-30 overtime triumph at the Coliseum.
As expected, Penn State was rewarded with a higher ranking both in the USA Today LBM Poll and the AP Poll. PSU is now in the top three for the first time since 2017. Only Texas and Oregon— a Big Ten team which Penn State doesn’t play this year— are ahead.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State avoids Oregon this season but does play Ohio State Nov. 2 in what could be a game of the year candidate not just in the Big Ten but anywhere in the country. Had Ohio State beat Oregon, there’d be a real possibility of that game being a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Now, it appears that ship has sailed.
BUT FIRST…
Before Penn State can worry about Ohio State, it must take on Wisconsin in one of college football’s most famous environments, Camp Randall Stadium. This will be Penn State’s first time playing in Camp Randall since 2021, when PSU upset No. 12 Wisconsin in the season opener. Wisconsin isn’t ranked anywhere in the top 25 this season but is coming off a 42-7 win at Rutgers.
IT’S ALL RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM
Penn State is now favored to finish the regular season 11-1, something that hasn’t happened since 2008. In 2008, the rankings system was different and College Football Playoff didn’t exist for Penn State or anyone else. Now, it has 12 teams, and if Penn State doesn’t screw it up, it will be one of them.
