Penn State’s slide got a little steeper after the latest set of rankings came out.
Following a 34-13 loss to Northwestern, the Nittany Lions fell out of the Coaches Poll entirely after sitting at No. 22. It’s a sharp drop, but not exactly unfamiliar territory for Penn State fans who have watched the program bounce in and out of the polls over the past year.
The latest exit from the rankings comes after a rough stretch that has already reshaped the program’s recent story. Penn State’s 2025 loss to Northwestern knocked it out of the polls and ended James Franklin’s PSU career.
The Nittany Lions did not make it back for the final six weeks of the regular season or the postseason. Under new coach Matt Campbell, Penn State opened this year at No. 17 in the Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the AP, then climbed as high as No. 13 in the AP before a home loss to Wisconsin sent it tumbling out of that poll.
At the time, Penn State was still hanging on in the Coaches Poll, and a win at Northwestern would have pushed PSU back into the top 20 and back into the AP rankings as well.
Instead, the loss leaves Penn State searching for a way back in.
The path is still there. If Penn State wins its next two games - home against No. 17 USC and then on the road at Michigan - it would have a strong shot at reappearing in at least one of the rankings.
For now, though, the mood around Nittany Nation is bleak, and it will stay that way unless Penn State turns things around quickly.
Penn State hosts USC on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC in Beaver Stadium.
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