As expected, Penn State managed to make a noticeable rise in the latest rankings following its big road win against Wisconsin to start the season. But Penn State still has a little bit more work to do in order to crack the top 10 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Penn State rose seven spots in the coaches poll after the results of Week 1, moving James Franklin’s program up to No. 13 in the nation according to the coaches. Penn State received a total of 872 points in the voting and trails No. 12 Iowa by 42 points. Iowa moved up six spots in the rankings after dismantling Indiana in their Week 1 matchup in Big Ten play. Indiana dropped out of the top 25 as a result, although Wisconsin only fell back two spots to drop to No. 17 in the coaches poll.
Alabama remains the heavy favorite for No. 1 in the coaches poll. The Crimson Tide secured 63 first-place votes. The only other first-place vote in the coaches poll went to No. 2 Georgia. The Bulldogs moved up three spots after shutting down Clemson in the defensive battle in Charlotte on Saturday night. Clemson dropped four spots from No. 2 to No. 6.
A total of four Big Ten teams are ranked in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll this week; Ohio State (No. 3), Iowa (No. 12), Penn State (No. 13), and Wisconsin (No. 17).
A look at the full coaches poll after week one’s games.
Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Points | Change |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,624 | – |
| 2 | Georgia | 1,537 | +3 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 1,491 | +1 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 1,397 | -1 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 1,334 | +1 |
| 6 | Clemson | 1,239 | -4 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 1.197 | – |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 1.113 | +2 |
| 9 | Florida | 1,058 | +2 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 1,057 | -2 |
| 11 | Oregon | 920 | +1 |
| 12 | Iowa | 914 | +6 |
| 13 | Penn State | 872 | +7 |
| 14 | USC | 828 | – |
| 15 | Texas | 653 | +4 |
| 16 | UCLA | 538 | +26 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 359 | -2 |
| 18 | Utah | 294 | +8 |
| 19 | Coastal Carolina | 289 | +5 |
| 20 | Ole Miss | 285 | +5 |
| 21 | Virginia Tech | 274 | +19 |
| 22 | North Carolina | 252 | -13 |
| 23 | Oklahoma State | 243 | -1 |
| 24 | Miami (Fl) | 186 | -8 |
| 25 | Arizona State | 181 | +3 |
Dropped from the rankings:
No. 13 LSU, No. 17 Indiana, No. 21 Washington, No. 23 ULL
Others receiving votes:
Auburn 123; Michigan 99; Louisiana State 95; NC State 81; Liberty 78; Brigham Young 65; Indiana 58; Texas Christian 49; Central Florida 48; Florida State 34; Michigan State 33; Kentucky 28; Pittsburgh 20; UL Lafayette 19; Kansas State 19; Boston College 19; Appalachian State 15; Southern Methodist 14; Rutgers 11; Arkansas 11; Maryland 9; Tennessee 7; Nevada 7; Fresno State 7; Army 7; Tulane 6; Virginia 5; San Jose State 5; Missouri 5; Ball State 5; Marshall 3; UAB 2; Air Force 2; Charlotte 1.
Stream college football games from the SEC, Big 12, The American, and more on ESPN+
[vertical-gallery id=6223]
[lawrence-related id=6445,6453,6447,6337,6329]
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.
[listicle id=6263]