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Penn State climbs in AP, Coaches Polls with 5-0 start

nate-mug-10.12.14by:Nate Bauer•10/06/24•

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Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (Photo credit: Frank Hyatt/BWI)

Penn State football continued along its plodding path of consistency with another win on Saturday afternoon. Topping UCLA at Beaver Stadium, 27-11, the Nittany Lions improved to 5-0 for the 2024 campaign ahead of a crucial trip to Southern Cal next weekend.

In the process, Penn State did what much of the rest of the ranked national college football landscape could not.

Out of 18 ranked teams playing over the weekend, the Nittany Lions managed to avoid the losing fate that befell seven. No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 9 Missouri, No. 10 Michigan, No. 11 Southern Cal, and No. 22 Louisville all dropped games to either unranked or lesser-ranked opponents. The ACC-after-dark special between Cal and No. 8 Miami finished with fireworks, the Hurricanes needing a fourth quarter comeback to stay unblemished.

As a result, the Nittany Lions reaped the benefit of their ho-hum winning ways.

Released on Sunday afternoon, Penn State climbed to No. 5 in the latest Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lions round out a top five of Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, and Georgia. The Bulldogs are the only one-loss program among the first six teams, which also includes Miami. The Nittany Lions fell short of the No. 4 spot by just 11 points in the voting.

The complete Big Ten ranking picture in the Coaches Poll includes Ohio State (2), Oregon (3), Penn State (5), Indiana (20), Michigan (21), and Illinois (23). The Nittany Lions’ upcoming opponent, Southern Cal, dropped out of the rankings from the Trojans’ spot at No. 15 after losing at Minnesota on Saturday night, 24-17.

Meanwhile, the latest AP Top 25 has Penn State positioned similarly. Finishing the Week Six rankings at No. 7, the Nittany Lions improved to No. 4 this week.

Penn State is behind only Texas, Ohio State, and Oregon in the updated rankings, with Georgia rounding out the top five. Other Big Ten teams represented in the rankings are Indiana, which is tied at No. 18, Illinois at No. 23, and Michigan at No. 24. Southern Cal is receiving votes with 98, followed by Nebraska at 51, and Washington with 4.

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