Penn State moves up in updated Associated Press Poll ahead of regular season finale
Penn State improved to 9-2 Saturday afternoon, defeating Rutgers on Senior Day, 27-6. The Nittany Lions now head into their final regular season game of 2023 in a good position to reach a New Year’s Six Bowl for the fourth time under head coach James Franklin’s leadership.
But before fans can book their travel plans, the Lions will take on Michigan State on Friday evening at Detroit’s Ford Field. They’ll come into that game ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press Poll. The Lions moved up one spot after Oregon State, who was previously ranked No. 10 in the poll, lost at home to No. 5 Washington.
The Big Ten will have four teams inside the AP Top 25 heading into rivalry week. Ohio State and Michigan remain undefeated at 11-0 heading into the season’s most anticipated game. The Buckeyes were up just 13-0 against Minnesota at halftime but scored 24 points in the second half to win 37-3. That moved them ahead of the Wolverines to No. 2 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
It wasn’t as easy for Michigan, who now sits at No. 3 overall. On the road against Maryland, the Wolverines ultimately pulled out the win, 31-24, but they allowed the Terps to stick around much longer than most expected. Iowa is also ranked at No. 20 overall. The Hawkeyes locked up the Big Ten West with a 15-13 win over Illinois.
In the bottom half of the poll, Utah and North Carolina both lost on Saturday. The Utes were beaten handily by Arizona, 42-18. That win moved the Wildcats up to No. 16 in the poll. North Carolina dropped out altogether following its loss to Clemson, 31-20.
One other notable move is at the No. 4 spot, as Washington has now leaped over Florida State. The Seminoles lost their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, in last night’s game against North Alabama. All eyes now turn to the College Football Playoff Poll, which will be released Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. ET.
Nittany Lion fans can check out the complete Associated Press Poll for Week 13 below.
Associated Press Poll – Week 13
1) Georgia
2) Ohio State
3) Michigan
4) Washington
5) Florida State
6) Oregon
7) Texas
8) Alabama
9) Louisville
10) Missouri
11) Penn State
12) Ole Miss
13) Oklahoma
Report Card: Grading out Penn State’s win over Rutgers
14) LSU
15) Oregon State
16) Arizona
17) Notre Dame
18) Tulane
19) Kansas State
20) Iowa
21) Oklahoma State
22) Liberty
23) Toledo
24) James Madison
25) Tennessee
Others Receiving Votes: Utah 69, NC State 66, UNLV 56, SMU 49, North Carolina 26, Clemson 20, Kansas 7, Fresno St. 6, New Mexico St. 3, UCLA 1, Miami (Ohio) 1, Texas A&M 1
