Penn State’s slide hit hard Sunday, and the AP voters finished the job.
After Saturday night’s 24-20 loss to Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 entirely, landing unranked in the latest poll released Sunday afternoon. Penn State entered the week at No. 13, but the upset in Madison triggered a sharp drop in the national conversation.
The coaches had already pushed Penn State down eight spots, and the AP response was even harsher. The Nittany Lions checked in with 98 points, which placed them at No. 28 unofficially - 20 points behind No.
25 Missouri. Wisconsin and Duke sat between Penn State and the cutoff.
Penn State opened the season at No. 18 in the AP Poll and climbed steadily during its undefeated non-conference run. That momentum is gone now, replaced by a ranking plunge that reflects just how costly the Wisconsin loss was.
The Nittany Lions were also slotted No. 22 in the new US LBM Coaches Poll released earlier Sunday, so the AP drop was only part of a rough weekend in the rankings.
At the top of the AP Poll, Texas holds No. 1 with 62 first-place votes. Georgia is No. 2 with six first-place votes, followed by Notre Dame, Miami with one first-place vote, Ohio State, Indiana with one first-place vote, Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and BYU.
The Big Ten still has a strong footprint in the rankings. Ohio State is No.
5, Indiana No. 6, Iowa No.
14, Oregon No. 15, USC No. 18 and UCLA No.
- Wisconsin sits at No. 26 unofficially, while Penn State is No.
- Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota and Northwestern also received votes.
Penn State’s only remaining ranked matchup is USC in the White Out at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 10.
The Nittany Lions also dropped out of the FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll after being No. 13 last week. That ranking is voted on by FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers “who were selected to create a balanced-geographical perspective.”
ESPN’s SP+ rankings also moved Penn State down three spots to No. 15. Through four games, the Nittany Lions are No. 36 in scoring offense at 36.8 points per game, No. 43 in rushing offense at 183.5 yards per game, No. 58 in passing offense at 243.8 yards per game and No. 49 in total offense at 427.3 yards per game.
Defensively, Penn State remains much sharper. The Nittany Lions are No. 8 in scoring defense at 11.5 points per game, No. 43 in rushing defense at 113.25 yards per game, No. 4 in passing defense at 126.3 yards per game and No. 9 in total defense at 239.5 yards per game.
Penn State heads to Evanston, Ill., on Friday night to face Northwestern in the first game at the new Ryan Field. Northwestern pushed Indiana to the brink in a 29-23 loss in Bloomington, Ind., over the weekend.
The game is set for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m.
CT and will be televised on FOX.
In Other News...
Penn State Already Faces An Uncomfortable Question About Life After Franklin
Penn States stumble at Beaver Stadium against Wisconsin in Matt Campbells Big Ten debut as head coach put an immediate spotlight on what life looks like after James Franklin. Coaching changes are never clean, especially when a new leader is being asked to steady a program with expectations as high as Penn States. Campbell arrives with a reputation as a builder, the kind of coach who needs time to shape a team in his image rather than simply patching over what came before.
For the Nittany Lions, the uncomfortable part is not just that the transition has begun, but that recent results have already started to look more fragile than the standard Franklin set in earlier years. This is the part of a changeover that programs hope to avoid, when every loss turns into a referendum on the new era and every uneven performance invites comparisons to the old one. Penn State is only at the beginning of that process, but the pressure to show progress is already very real. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Has A Scheduling Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Penn State had plenty to feel good about when it took a 17-0 lead into halftime, but the second half against Wisconsin turned into a reminder that early control does not always mean a game is secure. The offense managed only a field goal after the break, while Wisconsin kept chipping away and eventually put up 24 points to flip the result. Matt Campbell acknowledged the missed opportunities afterward, and the loss fit a familiar pattern for a team that can look polished before the pressure really ramps up.
That is why the conversation around the Nittany Lions non-conference slate has become hard to ignore. An easier early schedule can help a team build confidence and stack wins, but it can also hide flaws that only show up once the calendar turns and the opponents get stronger. For Penn State, the concern is not just the loss itself, but whether the schedule has given a truer picture of what this team is before the tougher conference tests arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Offense Hit A Troubling Low In Loss To Wisconsin
Penn States offense has had uneven stretches this season, but the loss to Wisconsin brought a new low in the grading as well as the scoreboard. Pro Football Focus gave the unit its worst mark of the year, while the defense, which held up far better, posted its second-highest grade of the season and had one of the days biggest bright spots in freshman Josiah Zayas.
Zayas finished with the top defensive grade on the team after returning an interception for a touchdown, a play that briefly gave Penn State some life. The other side of the ball told a harsher story, with quarterback Rocco Becht turning in a rough outing and several offensive linemen also drawing season-low grades, leaving the offense searching for answers after another frustrating night. [Read more 🡒]