Despite Dramatic Weekend in Top 10, Penn State Football Holds Steady in AP Poll

Penn State football stayed put at No. 11 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll released on Sunday afternoon as the Nittany Lions beat Rutgers 55-10 for their ninth win of the year Saturday afternoon.

Penn State’s lack of movement in the poll comes as a slight surprise to some who may have expected to see the Nittany Lions move up at least one spot following No. 5 Tennessee’s blowout loss to South Carolina. The Volunteers fell four spots to No. 9 in the poll.

Elsewhere in the top 10, No. 3 Michigan hung on to defeat Illinois while No. 2Ohio State fended off Maryland in Columbus to round out a busy day of conference action. No. 1 Georgia beat Kentucky 16-6 while No. 4 TCU and No. 5 USC all hung on for close victories during a dramatic day of action that ultimately only saw Tennessee falling in a upset.

Losses by Ole Miss, UCF and North Carolina all knocked down potential Penn State bowl game opponents a few pegs as the Nittany Lions look to close out the regular season this coming weekend against Michigan State. That game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. kick on FS1 at Beaver Stadium. The latest iteration of The College Football Playoff Rankings are set to be released on Tuesday evening.

AP Top 25

1. Georgia (11-0)

2. Ohio State (11-0)

3. Michigan (11-0)

4. TCU (11-0)

5. USC (10-1)

6. LSU (9-2)

7. Clemson (10-1)

8. Alabama (9-2)

9. Tennessee (9-2)

10. Oregon (9-2)

11 Penn State (9-2)

12. Washington (9-2)

13. Notre Dame (8-3)

14. Utah (8-3)

15. Kansas State (8-3)

16. Florida State (8-3)

17. UCLA (8-3)

18. North Carolina (9-2)

19. Tulane (9-2)

20. Ole Miss (8-3)

21. Cincinnati (9-2)

22. Oregon State (8-3)

23. Coastal Carolina (9-1)

24. Texas (7-4)

25. UCF (8-3)

Others receiving votes: UTSA 85, South Carolina 44, Troy 34, Boise State 16, Illinois 12, Iowa 5, Louisville 5, South Alabama 3, Mississippi State 3, Oklahoma State 2, Arkansas 2, Purdue 2, Fresno State 1