Penn State plummeted out of the AP Top 25 poll released on Sunday following a calamitous loss to previously winless UCLA, marking one of the steepest falls in the ranking’s 99-year history.
The Nittany Lions, who started the season No. 2 and were No. 7 entering the weekend, are now unranked in the AP poll for the first time since week one of the 2022 season. It snaps a streak of being ranked in 53 consecutive AP polls, the fourth longest stretch in program history.
Penn State received 97 votes, placing it 28th in the nation.
The plunge out of the Top 25 matched 1959 Oklahoma for second-biggest drop out of the rankings, not counting preseason polls or the 2020 pandemic season. That year’s Sooners team went from No. 2 to out of the Top 20 after losing their opener to Northwestern.
Saturday’s 42-37 loss to the Bruins was a historically bad one in other ways for Penn State, too. The Nittany Lions, who were 25-point favorites and playing a squad that has replaced its head coach and coordinators midseason, became the first AP top-10 team since 1985 to lose to an opponent with a record of 0-4 or worse.
In the Coaches Poll released on Sunday, the Nittany Lions remain in the top 25, falling from No. 6 to No. 22.
Penn State (3-2) has two games remaining against teams currently ranked in the AP top 25. The Nittany Lions will play at Ohio State, which retained the No. 1 spot in the poll, on Nov. 1, and will host Indiana, which moved up one spot to No. 7, on Nov. 8.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Saturday against Northwestern for a 3:30 p.m. homecoming kickoff in Beaver Stadium.
The AP Poll’s preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams are now both unranked. Texas, which entered the weekend No. 9, also dropped out following a loss to Florida. It is the first time since 1986 that two AP top-10 teams fell out of the poll in the same week.
AP TOP 25
- Ohio State (40)
- Miami (21)
- Oregon (5)
- Mississippi
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Indiana
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- Georgia
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Georgia Tech
- Missouri
- Michigan
- Notre Dame
- Illinois
- BYU
- Virginia
- Vanderbilt
- Arizona State
- Iowa State
- Memphis
- South Florida
- Florida State
Others receiving votes:
Cincinnati 129, Texas 111, Penn St. 97, Utah 84, Nebraska 60, Southern Cal 46, UNLV 19, North Texas 16, TCU 14, Washington 10, Mississippi St. 10, Navy 4, Louisville 3, Auburn 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
