Penn State moves up two spots after Rose Bowl win in final AP top 25 rankings of 2022 season
Penn State moved up two spots in the final AP top 25 poll that was released not long after the college football season came to an end Tuesday morning.
The Nittany Lions jumped from No. 9 to No. 7 following their 35-21 Rose Bowl win over the Utah Utes on Jan. 2. The Utes fell from No. 7 to No. 10 after the loss. Penn State’s 1,200 voting points is 137 points more than the program received in the last poll, which was released prior to the start of bowl season.
There are only three Big Ten teams ranked to end the year, with No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State joining the Nittany Lions. Five schools in the conference received at least one voting point but did not land in the top 25 — Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue, Maryland and Illinois.
The Georgia Bulldogs finished the season at No. 1 following a 65-7 trouncing of the now-No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs in Monday night’s College Football Playoff title game.
Penn State will open next season against West Virginia on Sept. 2. The Mountaineers did not receive any votes in the final poll.
The full AP rankings are below.
AP Top 25
(Jan. 10, 2022)
1. Georgia (15-0), 1,575 (63 1st-place votes)
2. TCU (13-2), 1,484
3. Michigan (13-1), 1,438
4. Ohio State (11-2), 1,394
5. Alabama (11-2), 1,303
6. Tennessee (11-2), 1,294
7. Penn State (11-2), 1,200
8. Washington (11-2), 1,097
9. Tulane (12-2), 1,025
10. Utah (10-4), 876
11. Florida State (10-3), 814
12. USC (11-3), 795
13. Clemson (11-3), 791
14. Kansas State (10-4), 784
15. Oregon (10-3), 758
16. LSU (10-4), 757
17. Oregon State (10-3), 742
18. Notre Dame (9-4), 535
19. Troy (12-2), 322
20. Mississippi State (9-4), 320
21. UCLA (9-4), 243
22. Pittsburgh (9-4), 233
23. South Carolina (8-5), 180
24. Fresno State (10-4), 164
25. Texas (8-5), 95
Others receiving votes: Duke 49, UTSA 45, Air Force 40, Boise State 38, Minnesota 35, Texas Tech 19, North Carolina 8, North Carolina State 6, Iowa 4, Louisville 3, Purdue 3, Maryland 2, Marshall 2, Cincinnati 1, Illinois 1
