Penn State is inching upward in the latest rankings, and the Nittany Lions are now sitting inside the top 15.
After a 27-9 win at Temple, PSU climbed from No. 16 to No. 15 in the Coaches Poll and from No. 16 to No. 14 in the AP. It’s not a giant leap, but it is a move in the right direction.
The rest of the Big Ten didn’t enjoy nearly as smooth a weekend. Oregon entered its game at Oklahoma State ranked No. 6 and came out of it at No. 18 in the Coaches Poll and No. 21 in the AP after a loss.
Ohio State, which arrived at Texas as the No. 1 team in the country, lost after blowing a three-score lead. That dropped the Buckeyes to No. 6 in both polls, while Texas jumped to No. 1 in both.
USC took advantage of those results and moved from No. 14 to No. 11 in the Coaches Poll and No. 12 in the AP. Penn State and USC will meet Oct. 10 at Beaver Stadium in the program’s annual White Out game.
Michigan posted the biggest rebound of any Big Ten team. After surviving Western Michigan at home, the Wolverines upset No.
11 Oklahoma and saw a strong rankings boost. They climbed from No. 24 to No. 19 in the Coaches Poll and from unranked to No. 19 in the AP.
Penn State plays Michigan in Ann Arbor the week after the USC game.
Iowa sits just behind Michigan in the Coaches Poll, moving from No. 21 to No. 20 after beating Iowa State, the old school of Matt Campbell. In the AP, Iowa is actually ahead of Michigan at No. 18.
Washington remains in the top 25, but only barely. The Huskies slipped from No. 19 to No. 24 in the Coaches Poll after a 16-14 home win over Utah State.
They dropped out of the AP rankings entirely. Penn State visits Washington in Seattle on Nov.
Among the teams also receiving votes in the Coaches Poll were Nebraska, with 18, and UCLA, with 8. In the AP, Washington led the “others receiving votes” group with 172, and UCLA had nine.
Penn State’s next job is much more immediate: Buffalo comes to town Saturday at noon on the Big Ten Network.
In Other News...
Penn States Newcomers Are Already Becoming The Heart Of This Team
Penn States September win over Temple offered an early look at how quickly the new faces on this roster are settling in. In a 27-9 victory, the Nittany Lions leaned on a transfer-heavy 2026 group that has already become part of the teams identity, with several newcomers making their presence felt on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Rocco Becht was sharp, tight end Ben Brahmer was a reliable target, and the overall depth from the portal additions gave the game a very different feel than a typical early-season tune-up.
What stood out most was how many of those newcomers were involved in the decisive moments, not just filling snaps. Becht completed 21 of 27 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, while Brahmer caught five passes for 78 yards and two scores, and other transfers chipped in across offense and defense as Penn State controlled the afternoon. For a program trying to blend established expectations with a roster full of fresh arrivals, this was the kind of performance that suggests the integration is happening faster than most teams can reasonably expect. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Showed Exactly How Much Rocco Becht Already Means
The reaction around Rocco Becht in the Temple game said plenty about where he stands with Penn State. When Becht took a late hit near the sideline, the response from his teammates and coaches was immediate, a flash of protectiveness that reflected how tightly this group has bonded around its quarterback. Matt Campbell pointed to that unity afterward, and it fit with the way Penn State has looked to rally behind Becht as he has grown into a steadier, more confident presence.
Bechts rise has been one of the clearer on-field stories of the season, especially after the setbacks that had slowed him before. He has settled in as one of the Big Tens most efficient passers and has given Penn State a level of stability it did not always have a year ago. The hit itself will fade, but the response around it showed how much his teammates already trust him, and how much the program has come to depend on him. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Temple Win Revealed Something Worth Watching In The Backfield
For one afternoon, Jaxon Smolik turned the matchup into a familiar sight for Penn State fans, only in a different uniform. The former Nittany Lions quarterback was Temples primary signal-caller against his old team, throwing for modest yardage but doing enough with his legs to keep the Owls moving. Penn State also got a close-up look at its own defensive speed when linebacker Tony Rojas jumped a Smolik pass and returned it to the Temple 5-yard line, one of the cleaner momentum swings in the game.
On the other side, the Lions backfield may have been the more encouraging subplot. Carson Hansen and James Peoples combined to rush for 136 yards, and coach Matt Campbell pointed to the groups physicality and growth after the game. For Penn State, that kind of production is exactly the sort of detail that can matter later in the season, especially if the run game keeps looking like a reliable part of the offense rather than just a supporting piece. [Read more 🡒]