Penn State in the Polls: Nittany Lions Rise After Win Over Illinois

Penn State got a boost in the AP Top 25 following a 21-7 victory over the Illini.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar throws a pass during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State moved up in both major college football polls after a 21-7 win over Illinois, reaching its highest ranking so far this season. The Nittany Lons (4-0) are ranked No. 7 in both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll. They moved up two spots in the AP poll and one place in the Coaches Poll.

Penn State remained at No. 8 in the ESPN College Football Power Index, which boosted Notre Dame one spot above the Nittany Lions at No. 7. The FPI gives Penn State a 60.7 percent chance to make the College Footall Playoff.

Penn State rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns and held Illinois scoreless after its first possession of the game. The Nittany Lions are 4-0 for the fourth consecutive season.

"I'm proud of our guys, and I'm proud of that locker room," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "We found a way to get a win at home against a really good, ranked opponent."

After the game, Franklin also praised the environment at Beaver Stadium, where 109,911 fans, most dressed in white, heeded the coach's call for "White Out energy." Though the game was not a designated "Penn State White Out," Franklin said the crowd impacted at least seven plays in Penn State's favor.

"That was a phenomenal environment," Franklin said. "That wasn't even a 'White Out,' and we had that. The fans were phenomenal. We thought the fans had seven impactful plays on the game. Seven plays, whether it was timeouts, whether it was false starts and penalties, whether it was bad snaps, we thought they had seven plays that were significant in the game."

Penn State hosts UCLA on Oct. 5 to complete a four-game homestand over a five-week stretch. The game is schduled for noon ET on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff. Penn State opened as a 27.5-point favorite over UCLA, according to DraftKings. The Bruins (1-3) have lost three straight and fell to No. 8 Oregon 34-13 at home Saturday night.

More Penn State Football

Final takeaways from Penn State's win over Illinois

What they said about the Penn State-Illinois game

The Penn State-Illinois report card