Penn State Lands at No. 14 in Latest AP Top 25

After starting the season unranked, Penn State continues its climb up the AP Top 25 poll.

The Nittany Lions come in at No. 14 in the latest poll released on Sunday, jumping eight spots after a blowout 41-12 victory over Auburn on Saturday afternoon deep in the heart of Alabama.

Penn State is now 3-0 on the year with two road victories to its name. The Nittany Lions will head back to State College for back-to-back games at Beaver Stadium with Central Michigan and Northwestern both on the docket in the coming weeks.

In the Big Ten East, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Michigan held steady in the poll after cruising to victory, while Michigan State fell out of the top 25 after previously being ranked No. 11 following a loss to Washington.

Penn State’s Week 1opponent Purdue lost in the final seconds to Syracuse.

After a chaotic slate of games last weekend, this week provided a slightly more stable afternoon and evening in the Top 25 with every team in the Top 10 winning with ease. No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Alabama held on to the top two spots, outscoring their opponents this weekend by a combined score of 111-14. Clemson rounds out the top five.

Penn State’s next big test will come against No. 4 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Oct. 15 following an off week for the Nittany Lions. Minnesota, which was among unranked teams receiving votes, visits Penn State on Oct. 22 for the White Out game and a week later No. 3 Ohio State comes to town for the teams’ first meeting in front of a capacity Beaver Stadium crowd since 2018 (the 2020 game did not permit fans because of COVID restrictions).

Michigan State, which had the most votes among unranked teams, visits State College for the regular season finale on Nov. 26.

Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh dropped one spot to No. 24 after a win against Western Michigan.