Everybody knew Penn State would slide in the latest AP ranking, and the question was how far?
We got our answer roughly 13 hours after PSU lost to Oregon at Beaver Stadium Saturday night.
Penn State is now No. 7 in the AP Poll, behind Ohio State, Oregon, Miami, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
This should come as no surprise. All six of the teams ahead of Penn State are undefeated, and Penn State is not undefeated anymore. Ergo, Penn State is no longer in the top five and no longer in position to get a College Football Playoff bye.
OHIO STATE STILL AWAITS
Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and Penn State’s Kalen King represent two of the Big Ten’s highest draft prospects.
The good news— or perhaps bad news, depending on how Penn State fans look at it— is that Penn State still has a date with the No. 1 team in the country. The positive in that is that, if Penn State beats Ohio State and wins its other seven remaining regular-season games, it will surely be one of the four teams with a Playoff bye. The negative is that Penn State has only beaten Ohio State once in 11 tries under James Franklin.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State also has a clash with No. 9 Indiana, who just jumped into the top 10 for the first time this season.
THE TASK AT HAND
Jaylen Reed pumps up the Penn State student section after his sack and forced fumble against UCLA.
Ranking aside, Penn State is focused on a team that’s nowhere near the top 25 right now. In fact, UCLA hasn’t won a game yet this season and just fired its head coach. The team’s latest loss came at the hands of Northwestern, who Penn State hosts for Homecoming the following week.
Aside from Indiana and Ohio State, Penn State doesn’t have a ranked opponent left on its schedule. The Big Ten’s other representatives are Illinois and Michigan, who Penn State doesn’t face in 2025.
The Penn State-UCLA game is scheduled for 3:30 on CBS from the Rose Bowl Saturday.
