Penn State made a statement with a 56-0 blowout over Kent State on Saturday. And now, James Franklin’s program is moving up in the rankings.
The Nittany Lions ranked No. 9 in the new AP Top 25 poll, which was released on Sunday. It’s a one-spot bump from their ranking last week.
Illinois, which will play under the lights of Beaver Stadium at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, is listed at No. 19 after a 31-24 overtime victory at Nebraska.
Penn State and the Fighting Illini are two of six Big Ten teams included in the rankings. Ohio State remained at No. 3, Oregon moved up to No. 8 and Michigan moved to No. 12 after its 27-24 win over USC, which moved down to No. 13.
The Nittany Lions jumped Missouri, previously ranked No. 7, in the polls after the Tigers inched out a 30-27 overtime victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Boston College, led by former Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, was once again left out of the top 25 despite a 23-19 win over Michigan State.
