Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Penn State Football welcomed one of its new Big Ten rivals, UCLA, on Saturday afternoon, and it was a great day for the Nittany Lions to pick up a 27-11 win.
UCLA is one of the worst teams in the conference and has yet to secure a victory in the Big Ten, but that didn’t stop the AP voters from recognizing how strong Penn State is.
On Sunday, the Nittany Lions jumped up three spots in the new poll.
Penn State is now ranked fourth in the AP Top 25, moving up three spots from last week. They are the third-highest-ranked Big Ten team, with Ohio State at number two and Oregon at number three.
With Ohio State and Oregon facing each other this weekend, a victory for Penn State against USC on Saturday would place them in the Top Three nationally.
What Lies Ahead for Penn State Football
The matchup with USC was supposed to be a battle of two top-15 teams, but after the Trojans’ loss to Minnesota on Saturday night, they fell out of the Top 25, slightly diminishing the contest’s significance.
With a win this upcoming week, Penn State will be well-positioned to make the College Football Playoff.
They are favored in every game remaining except against Ohio State, which will be challenging, even at home.
Penn State needs to take it one week at a time, and in about six days, they will experience what it’s like to play a Big Ten game in sunny Los Angeles.
MORE: Drew Allar Report Card From Win Over UCLA
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