If it wasn’t clear enough that Penn State is a team that will have something to prove this season, the release of the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll may drive that point home a little bit harder. Penn State was left out of the preseason coaches poll, which was released on Monday ahead of the 2022 college football season.
Alabama gobbled up the majority of the first-place votes from the voters in the coaches poll to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. With 54 first-place votes, Alabama comfortably sits atop the USA TOSAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll to start the season. Big Ten favorite Ohio State is ranked second in the poll with five first-place votes to its name. Defending national champion Georgia received six first-place votes but sits No. 3 overall behind the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes.
Just four teams from the Big Ten appear in the preseason coaches poll. In addition to Ohio State, the coaches poll includes defending Big Ten champion Michigan (No. 6), Michigan State (No. 14), and Wisconsin (No. 20).
Iowa and Penn State are the first two teams left out of the poll, and first and second respectively in the “Others Receiving Votes” category. So it seems Penn State won’t have to do too much to crack the top 25 in the first few weeks of the season. A road win at Purdue and a road win at Auburn would likely move Penn State within the top 25 in the first few weeks of the season.
Penn State’s schedule includes three preseason top 25 opponents according to the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll; Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State.
A look at the full preseason AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,634 | 54 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,564 | 5 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1,542 | 6 |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,356 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,284 | – |
| 6 | Michigan | 1,232 | – |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 1,219 | – |
| 8 | Utah | 1,134 | – |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 1,027 | – |
| 10 | Baylor | 891 | – |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 859 | – |
| 12 | Oregon | 734 | – |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 726 | – |
| 14 | Michigan State | 711 | – |
| 15 | Southern California | 602 | – |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 450 | – |
| 17 | Miami (Fl) | 433 | – |
| 18 | Texas | 383 | 1 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 381 | – |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 369 | – |
| 21 | Kentucky | 353 | – |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 339 | – |
| 23 | Arkansas | 334 | – |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 327 | – |
| 25 | Houston | 257 | – |
Others Receiving Votes
Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1
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