Penn State Football: Nittany Lions Sit at No. 10 in Latest Playoff Rankings

Penn State football slid down to No. 10 in this week’s College Football Playoff top 25 rankings.

No. 1 Ohio State, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 13 Michigan, and No. 17 Iowa were the other Big Ten sides to feature in the rankings.

The Nittany Lions fell two spots after losing 28-17 to the top-ranked Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Day’s Buckeyes jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter before Penn State scored 17 unanswered points to bring the game back within a possession. Journey Brown found the back of the end zone before a pair of Ohio State fumbles allowed Will Levis, who relieved Sean Clifford after an injury, and Jake Pinegar to score a touchdown and kick a 42-yard field goal, respectively. Chris Olave’s fourth-quarter touchdown grab, however, halted the team’s comeback and sealed the deal in Columbus.

At this time last year, Penn State was the No. 12 team in the country and had an 8-3 record. The Nittany Lions ended the regular season as the No. 12 team in the nation, but they narrowly missed out on a New Year’s Six bowl bid.

In addition to the College Football Playoff’s new rankings, James Franklin’s program checked in at No. 12 in this week’s AP Top 25 and Coaches’ polls. This is the Nittany Lions’ lowest ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings.

No. 10 Penn State (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) will wrap up its regular season with a matchup against Rutgers (2-9, 0-8 Big Ten) at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. The contest is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.