Where is Penn State in the AP top 25 poll as the regular season ends? See the full rankings
With the last week of the regular college football season bringing surprises and upsets, Penn State moved up to No. 3 in the Associated Press Top-25 poll.
The one-spot jump comes after Penn State defeated Maryland, 44-7, at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. The win earned the Nittany Lions a berth in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis after Michigan upset Ohio State, 13-10. The Buckeyes dropped five spots to No. 7 in the latest AP poll, which was released Sunday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions’ opponent in the Big Ten title game is Oregon, which remains in the top spot of the poll. Other ranked Big Ten teams are Indiana (No. 9) and Illinois (No. 21). Michigan remains unranked after beating Ohio State but received a vote.
Penn State had 1,378 voting points, which is 106 fewer than No. 2 Texas and five more than No. 4 Notre Dame.
The Nittany Lions were No. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and at the No. 6 seed in the bracket, with the next rankings to be released on Tuesday before the final rankings come out on Dec. 8. Earning any of the No. 5-8 seeds would net Penn State a home game on Dec. 20 or Dec. 21.
The Big Ten title game will kick off at 8 p.m. Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
AP Top 25
(Dec. 1, 2024)
1. Oregon 1,550 (62 first-place votes)
2. Texas 1,484
3. Penn State 1,378
4. Notre Dame 1,373
5. Georgia 1,302
6. Tennessee 1,200
7. Ohio State 1,174
8. SMU 1,127
9. Indiana 1,059
10. Boise State 1,036
11. Alabama 840
12. Arizona State 832
13. South Carolina 789
14. Miami 756
15. Ole Miss 717
16. Iowa State 647
17. BYU 548
18. Clemson 502
19. UNLV 340
20. Colorado 295
21. Illinois 274
22. Missouri 214
23. Syracuse 206
24. Army 182
25. Memphis 121
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 93, Louisville 45, Duke 30, Kansas St. 10, Tulane 9, LSU 6, Louisiana-Lafayette 5, Florida 4, Michigan 1, Baylor 1
