Where did Penn State football land in the preseason AP Top 25 poll?
Penn State football is officially back in the AP Top 25 poll.
The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 19 in Monday afternoon’s preseason poll after being left out of the rankings from November onward during the 2020 season.
They fell out of the poll after an 0-2 start to the season last year and failed to regain enough footing to find their way back in before the season ended. That marked the first time the program wasn’t ranked since Oct. 16, 2016.
The new ranking helps underscore the program built by head coach James Franklin, who seemingly has earned the benefit of the doubt from voters despite last season’s 4-5 record.
This week’s ranking came with 456 voting points, seven points ahead of No. 20 Washington and 57 points behind No. 18 Iowa.
Penn State will open its season against No. 12 Wisconsin on the road in Madison on Sept. 4. The Nittany Lions will also take on No. 17 Indiana, No. 18 Iowa and No. 4 Ohio State this season. Three more opponents (Auburn, Michigan and Ball State) are currently receiving votes but are outside the top 25.
The Nittany Lions are one of five Big Ten teams ranked in the preseason poll. They’re joined by the four ranked teams they’ll play this season.
The full rankings can be found below:
AP Top 25 Poll (Aug. 16)
1. Alabama, 1,548
2. Oklahoma, 1,462
3. Clemson, 1,447
4. Ohio State, 1,393
5. Georgia, 1,364
6. Texas A&M, 1,223
7. Iowa State, 1,160
8. Cincinnati, 1,014
9. Notre Dame, 1,009
10. North Carolina, 999
11. Oregon, 968
12. Wisconsin, 743
13. Florida, 728
14. Miami, 663
15. USC, 660
16. LSU, 631
17. Indiana, 549
18. Iowa, 513
19. Penn State, 456
20. Washington, 449
21. Texas, 350
22. Coastal Carolina, 232
23. Louisiana-Lafayette, 208
24. Utah, 176
25. Arizona State, 125
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 107, Ole Miss 106, TCU 40, Liberty 36, Auburn 32, North Carolina State 14, Michigan 12, Northwestern 8, Boise State 7, Nevada 7, Brigham Young 6, Ball State 6, Houston 5, Boston College 5, UCF 5, West Virginia 3, UAB 2, Army 2, UCLA 2
