Penn State Opens Season at No. 2 | What AP Poll Tells Us About 2025 Season
The 2025 preseason AP Poll Top 25 was released on Monday. Penn State opens the season ranked No. 2, right behind Texas. Here are some key takeaways from the preseason rankings.
AP Poll Takeaways as Penn State Football Opens at No. 2
Penn State Is The Team To Beat In The Big Ten
With the Nittany Lions coming in at No. 2, one spot ahead of Ohio State, that means this is the year of the Big Ten for Penn State.
The last two seasons, the Big Ten brought home the national championship with Michigan (2023) and Ohio State (2024). Now it’s Penn State’s turn to join the party.
Penn State Will Play Three Ranked Preseason Teams
Penn State will play three of the ranked preseason Top 25 teams, hosting Oregon (No. 7) and Indiana (No. 20). The team will also play Ohio State (No. 2) in Columbus on November 1.
The Nittany Lions should take two of those games to ensure they will have a spot in the college football playoffs. Penn State will also go to Iowa and host Nebraska, which received votes for the Top 25 but didn’t make the ranking.
The SEC Is King
The South Eastern Conference has ten teams ranked, Texas (No. 1), Georgia (No. 5,) Alabama (No. 8), LSU (No. 9), South Carolina (No. 13), Florida (No. 15), Oklahoma (No. 18), Texas A&M (No. 19), Ole Miss ( No. 21) and Tennessee (No. 24).
The SEC has gone two years now not having a team play for the national championship but they are loaded this season. The conference should at least see one of its teams make the title game this year.
Three Top Ten Matchups Week 1
Week 1 of the college football season will have three top ten matchups with No. 3 Ohio State hosting No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Clemson hosting No. 9 LSU, and No.8 Notre Dame going on the road to face No. 10 Miami.
With those three games happening, there will be some major shakeups in the Week 1 poll, with the winner of Texas vs. Ohio State being ranked No. 1.
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The Big 12 Might Be The Most Interesting Conference
While the Big 12 doesn’t have a super team, and its first-ranked team was Arizona State at 11, the conference should be fun to watch. It’s a long shot for any of their teams to win it all. However, a handful of their teams can compete with each other every week.
Kansas State, Iowa State, and Texas Tech were all ranked 17-23, with BYU, Utah, and Baylor being the first three teams left out of the Top 25. TCU and Colorado also had some other receiving votes.
College football is right around the corner, and this season should be one of the best in recent years.
MORE Penn State Football News from NittanyCentral:
- 3 Burning Questions James Franklin, PSU Must Answer Ahead of 2025
- Drew Allar Makes or Breaks Penn State’s National Championship Hopes
- Top College Football Analyst Has Strong Take on Penn State’s Expectations
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