After a solid all-around victroy in Week 2 against Ball State, the Penn State Nittany Lions have moved into the top 10 of the latest AP Top 25 poll. With a little bit of a shakeup in the AP Top 25 poll released on Sunday, the Nittany Lions benefitted from one team losing and another simply losing credibility and became one of three Big Ten teams to land in the top 10 of the AP poll.
Penn State moved up one spot in this week’s AP Top25, moving up to No. 10 from No. 11 a week ago. The Nittany Lions moved ahead of Iowa State (from No. 9 to No. 14 after a home loss to Iowa). They also moved ahead of Notre Dame. Despite also being 2-0, voters lost some respect for the Fighting Irish after a close call at home against Toledo and witnessing Florida State lose on a last-second play to FCS Jacksonville State six days after the Seminoles took the Irish into overtime in Week 1. Notre Dame fell from No. 8 down to No. 12.
Alabama remains the top team in the AP Top 25 by a landslide. The Crimson Tide received 60 out of 63 first-place votes this week. Georgia received the other three to help secure the No. 2 spot in the AP Top 25 for a second straight week. With Ohio State dropping from No. 3 to No. 9 after their home loss to Oregon (up to No. 4 from No. 12, passing Penn State in the process), Oklahoma moved up one spot from No. 4 to No. 3.
Penn State moves up one spot in USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after Week 2
Iowa, which Penn State will visit in October, moved up five spots in this week’s ranking to No. 5 after their big win at Iowa State. This is Iowa’s highest ranking since reaching as high as No. 3 in the AP Top 25 in 2015. It is looking as though the Hawkeyes will be a top five team when Penn State travels to Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 9. Iowa has home games against Kent State and Colorado State and a road game at Maryland before hosting Penn State for what could potentially be a top 10 showdown.
Other Big Ten teams in this week’s AP Top 25 include Wisconsin (No. 18) and Michigan (No. 25). Penn State’s opponent this week, Auburn, also moved up three spots in the poll to climb to No. 22.
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