In the latest rankings, Penn State had been leapfrogged.
Fans probably didn’t expect Penn State to lose any ground during its bye week, but they were mistaken.
Miami’s 26-7 win over Florida impressed AP voters enough to move the Hurricanes from No. 3 to No. 2, and Penn State down from No. 2 to No. 3.
It’s certainly understandable why Miami moved ahead. Frankly, Miami has a better resume at this point in the season. It has one more win than Penn State, and the quality of its wins have been better. Miami has two ranked wins and another over an SEC school in Florida.
Penn State, on the other hand, has only played Nevada, FIU and Villanova, schools which might have had a chance if they combined teams.
ELSEWHERE IN THE RANKINGS
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 23: Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti talks to his players during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 23, 2024, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire)
Elsewhere in the rankings, the biggest mover in the Big Ten was Indiana. IU came into Saturday’s game against No. 9 Illinois ranked No. 19, and despite beating Illinois by 53, it still isn’t in the top 10.
Nonetheless, Indiana still moved up eight spots to No. 11, making its matchup with Penn State Nov. 8 that much more intriguing.
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Harrison Wallace fights Nikko Reed for the ball on what would inevitably be Oregon’s game sealing interception.
Penn State is a win away from likely getting right back into the No. 2 spot.
CiracaSports has PSU as a three-point favorite over No. 6 Oregon, which is about as close as it gets, especially if you believe the adage that “the home team is giventhree points.”
That’s no surprise considering the stakes. After all, these are the same two teams that played for the Big Ten Championship last December, and although Oregon has lost key players such as Dillon Gabriel and Tez Johnson, the Ducks are still loaded enough to be near the top five.
Penn State is high in the rankings largely because it returns most of its key players from last year’s team, which ended up coming within a drive of playing for the national championship game.
So, yeah, this is a big one.
No. 3 Penn State takes on No. 6 Oregon at Beaver Stadium Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 on White Out conditions.
