An eventful week around college football has benefitted Penn State in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. Following a 24-0 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers in Week 5, Penn State has moved up two spots in this week’s coaches poll.
The Nittany Lions took advantage of an upset of the Oregon Ducks by Stanford this week. Oregon fell from No. 3 in the poll all the way down to No. 9 after their loss to the Cardinal in Pac-12 play in Week 5. Oddly enough, the voters in the coaches poll also moved Ohio State up three spots, placing the Buckeyes ahead of the Ducks by two spots despite a head-to-head loss at home to Oregon in Week 2.
Penn State also moved one spot ahead of Oklahoma, with the Sooners dropping one spot after their win at Kansas State this weekend.
Four Big Ten teams appear in the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. Penn State’s next opponent, Iowa, is the highest-ranked at No. 3, with Penn State right behind them. And one spot behind Ohio State is Michigan at No. 8. Michigan State is just outside the top 10, coming in at No. 11 after moving up five spots this week among the ranking shuffle this week.
Auburn continues to be viewed as a quality win for Penn State. The Tigers moved up three spots to No. 19 after their first road win at LSU since 1999.
It’s no surprise that Alabama remains the No. 1 team with 63 out of 65 first-place votes heading their way. Georgia has taken the two remaining first-place ballots and is cemented as the No. 2 team in the country.
A look at the full coaches poll after week five’s games.
Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Alabama | 5-0 | 1,623 (63) | – |
| 2 | Georgia | 5-0 | 1,562 (2) | – |
| 3 | Iowa | 5-0 | 1,429 | +2 |
| 4 | Penn State | 5-0 | 1,397 | +2 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 5-0 | 1,380 | -1 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 4-0 | 1,358 | +2 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 4-1 | 1,172 | +3 |
| 8 | Michigan | 5-0 | 1,125 | +6 |
| 9 | Oregon | 4-1 | 1,000 | -6 |
| 10 | BYU | 5-0 | 968 | +5 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 5-0 | 911 | +5 |
| 12 | Oklahoma State | 5-0 | 798 | +6 |
| 13 | Notre Dame | 4-1 | 777 | -6 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 5-0 | 758 | +9 |
| 15 | Coastal Carolina | 5-0 | 699 | +1 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 4-1 | 652 | -5 |
| 17 | Ole Miss | 3-1 | 629 | -5 |
| 18 | Florida | 3-2 | 464 | -9 |
| 19 | Auburn | 4-1 | 463 | +3 |
| 20 | Wake Forest | 5-0 | 441 | +5 |
| 21 | Clemson | 3-2 | 288 | -2 |
| 22 | North Carolina State | 4-1 | 257 | +6 |
| 23 | Texas | 4-1 | 256 | +3 |
| 24 | SMU | 5-0 | 142 | +8 |
| 25 | Arizona State | 4-1 | 141 | +12 |
Dropped from the rankings:
No. 13 Texas A&M; No. 20 UCLA; No. 21 Fresno State; No. 24 Baylor.
Others receiving votes:
Texas A&M 105; San Diego State 103; Baylor 40; Pittsburgh 34; Oregon State 27; Iowa State 27; Virginia Tech 24; Boston College 14; Texas-San Antonio 13; Appalachian State 11; Fresno State 8; Liberty 7; Mississippi State 6; North Carolina 5; Maryland 5; Western Michigan 2; Texas Tech 2; UL Lafayette 1; Nevada 1.
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