Penn State kept moving up in the AP Top 25 on Sunday, and the latest bump puts the Nittany Lions at No. 13 after a 55-13 rout of Buffalo in Beaver Stadium.
At 3-0, Penn State is now the fourth-highest ranked Big Ten team in the poll. The conference has seven teams in the top 25: Indiana at No.
5, Ohio State at No. 7, USC at No.
12, Penn State at No. 13, Iowa at No.
17, Michigan at No. 18 and Oregon at No. 20.
The climb comes after Penn State’s final nonconference game of the season, with Wisconsin next on the schedule as league play opens. The Badgers are not ranked after beating Eastern Michigan 54-10 on Saturday, and they’ll head to Happy Valley for a homecoming matchup against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State entered the season at No. 18 in the preseason poll after finishing the 2025 season unranked, and it now sits at 850 voting points in Week 3. That total is 12 behind No.
12 USC and 57 ahead of No. 14 Tennessee.
Saturday’s game against Wisconsin is set for 5 p.m. as Penn State tries to keep climbing.
AP top 25
(Sept. 20, 2026)
Texas 1,706 (58 first-place votes)
Georgia 1,580 (three first-place votes)
Notre Dame 1,517
Ole Miss 1,488 (three first-place votes)
Indiana 1,467 (four first-place votes)
Miami (FL) 1,445 (one first-place vote)
Ohio State 1,415
Alabama 1,182
BYU 1,090
LSU 1,078
Texas Tech 1,067
USC 907
Penn State 850
Tennessee 826
Utah 752
Louisville 692
Iowa 561
Michigan 432
Missouri 369
Oregon 364
Florida 269
SMU 212
Texas A&M 202
Mississippi State 179
Houston 127
Others receiving votes: Washington 107, Kentucky 98, West Virginia 93, Oklahoma 91, Oklahoma State 50, Boise State 48, Virginia Tech 46, Western Michigan 27, Duke 20, Tulsa 18, Arizona 12, Pittsburgh 10, UCLA 10, James Madison 7, North Dakota State 6, Kansas State 3, Nebraska 2
In Other News...
Penn State Already Has A New QB Question Fans Can't Ignore
Penn States non-conference tune-up slate against Marshall, Temple and Buffalo did not leave the quarterback picture any clearer, even with Rocco Becht opening all three games. The starter showed he can push the ball downfield, but the offense never got fully settled with him, and the red zone remains a problem area the staff still has to sort through.
Redshirt freshman Alex Manske also got his chances, and he looked capable enough to keep the conversation going with a handful of accurate throws and a few near completions that hinted at more upside. Connor Barry even saw the field, which only added to the sense that this is more than a one-man evaluation, and Manske appears to be positioning himself as the name to watch when Penn State starts thinking about next year. [Read more 🡒]
Bill OBrien Just Added Weight To Penn States Matt Campbell Bet
Bill OBriens take carried a little extra weight because he knows both sides of this equation. The former Penn State head coach, now at Boston College, publicly backed Matt Campbell as the Nittany Lions new leader, praising the hire and pointing to the scale of the job in State College. OBrien has lived the pressure and the expectations that come with that chair, so his approval is the kind of detail Penn State fans notice.
Campbell also has a small connection point through one of his past staffing moves, having hired a former Boston College assistant. Its another reminder that big college football decisions are rarely made in a vacuum, and Penn States new coach is stepping into a job with real history attached to it. OBriens endorsement does not settle every question, but it does add another layer to the early read on how Campbell fits the role. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Backfield Question Fans Will Notice
Quinton Martin Jr. was back in the conversation against Buffalo after sitting out Penn States game against Temple, and the change did not happen by accident. The young back responded by putting in the work on the practice field, caught the attention of coach Matt Campbell, and then earned meaningful snaps when the Nittany Lions got another look at their rotation. His payoff came with 10 carries for 100 yards, a strong reminder that opportunities in the backfield can come quickly when a player keeps pressing.
Martin has also drawn notice from teammates, which matters in a room where every rep is evaluated closely. The bigger question now is how Penn State sorts out those carries going forward, especially with Martin making it clear he wants to keep improving and force his way into more playing time. For a team still shaping its backfield pecking order, his response to one missed game has only made the next decisions more interesting. [Read more 🡒]