Penn State Climbs to Highest AP Top 25 Ranking Since 2021

Unbeaten Penn State moved up in both major polls after a chaotic weekend in college football.

Penn State students cheer during the third quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State climbed to No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 college football poll, its highest ranking since the 2021 season. The Nittany Lions moved up three spots after a chaotic weekend in college football, as four of the AP's top 10 teams lost games, including former No. 1 Alabama.

The Nittany Lions (5-0) improved two spots to No. 5 in the Coaches Poll following their 27-11 victory over UCLA at Beaver Stadium. Penn State, the nation's only FBS team to begin the past four seasons at 5-0, will face USC this week in its first Big Ten road game of the season. The Trojans, ranked 11th last week, fell out of both polls following a 24-17 loss at Minnesota. USC is 3-2.

The ESPN College Football Power Index wasn't as impressed with Penn State's win over the Bruins. The Nittany Lions fell one spot to No. 9. However, the FPI increased Penn State's chances to reach the College Football Playoff from 60.1 percent to 63.1 percent.

Penn State last reached No. 4 in the AP Top 25 during the 2021 season. As they have this season, the Nittany Lions opened the year 5-0 before going on the road to face third-ranked Iowa. Penn State took a 14-3 lead over the Hawkeyes before quarterback Sean Clifford was injured. Iowa won the game 23-20, and the Nittany Lions lost five of their remaining seven regular-season games.

Without running back Nicholas Singleton on Saturday, Penn State defeated UCLA in a game highlighted by Clifford's brother Liam. The receiver caught three passes for a career-high 107 yards against the Bruins. Quarterback Drew Allar went 17 for 24 for 237 yards and a touchdown and ran for another. Penn State scored a touchdown in its two-minute drill before halftime, a possession coach James Franklin called significant to the game.

"I think we've done a pretty good job of that all year long. [getting] points right before the half," Franklin said.

Penn State is playing at USC for the first time since 1991. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. CBS will televise.

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.