Tag: Penn State Nittany Lions

Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.

---

It’s rare that a monster game lives up to the hype. We’ve now had it happen two weeks in a row in college football, shaking up the rankings.

Last week, Oklahoma beat Texas with a touchdown in the final seconds. This week, Washington beat Oregon with a late fourth-down stop, a touchdown and a missed Ducks field goal as time expired. We knew Washington looked like world-beaters up to this point. The Huskies just hadn’t played anyone notable. Placed in one of the biggest games of the year, Washington and Michael Penix Jr. delivered. As a result of the 36-33 win, Washington takes the top spot in this week’s Athletic 133.

Penix took control of the Heisman Trophy race with his performance and a seemingly never-ending supply of good wide receivers. The Huskies aren’t perfect, but they game-planned well with a banged-up offensive line, and the defense got the stops when they needed them, keeping Oregon to 0-for-3 on fourth downs.

It’s a top-three win for any team this season, also up there with Texas beating Alabama on the road and Oklahoma beating Texas on a neutral site. That Oregon win, coupled with the strong play otherwise (including a win at Arizona that looks a lot better recently), moves Washington to No. 1 for now. But we’ve got a lot more top-10 matchups coming this year.

Here is this week’s Athletic 133.

1-10

Other than Washington’s move up to No. 1, the only other changes in here include Michigan hopping past Penn State to No. 7 and North Carolina sliding into No. 10 after taking care of Miami. On the Michigan point, the Wolverines leap the Nittany Lions because their Rutgers win is now essentially equal to Penn State’s West Virginia win (though neither is very notable), and Michigan has been so dominant otherwise. As I say every week, Michigan looks extremely good. The Wolverines just don’t play anyone notable until Penn State on Nov. 11. If they win that game, they’ll rocket up near the very top, just like Washington did. As for the comparison to Georgia, the Bulldogs have a blowout top-30 win against Kentucky. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Penn State meet this coming weekend.

GO DEEPER

Auerbach’s Top 10: Washington takes No. 1, UNC enters the mix

11-25

Oregon slips just out of the top 10 to No. 11. While the Ducks played well and nearly beat Washington on the road, they don’t have a notable win to justify a top-10 spot at the moment, unlike Texas. Oregon State sits just behind at No. 12 after a 36-24 win against UCLA. Louisville was the most difficult team to place this week. The Cardinals lost to Pitt 38-21 but remain at No. 13 because their lopsided win against Notre Dame last week looks much better after the Fighting Irish beat USC. I can’t yet justify putting a two-loss Notre Dame ahead of Louisville after what we just saw last week, so they remain in place for now. It’s always natural to move teams each week after a win or loss, but previous games matter, too.

After a bunch of losses from the bottom of this group, a handful of Group of 5 teams slide into the top 25, including Air Force (No. 21), Tulane (No. 23) and James Madison (No. 24). The Falcons and Dukes are undefeated, while Tulane beat Memphis on the road. Iowa also jumps up to No. 22 after beating Wisconsin on the road to move to 6-1. Whatever you think of the offense and the injuries, the Hawkeyes keep winning.

GO DEEPER

Ubben: Iowa to the College Football Playoff? Avert your eyes — but it’s possible

26-50

Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee were also very difficult to place, just outside the top 25. They all have similar records, but Kentucky walloped Florida, which beat Tennessee. I wanted to put Florida and Tennessee in the top 25 after Kentucky lost to Missouri, but I can’t do it quite yet because of that Kentucky-Florida result.

Arizona makes another big leap up to No. 30 after finally getting a breakthrough win, destroying Washington State 44-6 one week after taking USC to overtime and losing to Washington by just seven before that. Quarterback Noah Fifita (342 passing yards) has changed the trajectory for the Wildcats. Oklahoma State similarly makes a big jump to No. 36 thanks to a quarterback decision (Alan Bowman) that has fixed things, with consecutive wins against Kansas State last week and Kansas this week. The Jayhawks don’t fall behind the Cowboys, though, because starting quarterback Jalon Daniels didn’t play in Stillwater.

Miami (No. 39) and Texas A&M (No. 40) continue to tumble after losses. Iowa State has won three of its last four games since a loss to Ohio, which stunningly lost to Northern Illinois this weekend. And Liberty finally played a somewhat notable opponent, handling 5-1 Jacksonville State to move up to No. 38. Troy is also back on track with a 19-0 shutout of Army, its fourth consecutive win.

GO DEEPER

What we learned in CFB’s first half: Pac-12 peaking, UGA cruising, and who’s ‘back’?

51-75

Georgia State moves up to No. 51 after a 41-24 win against Marshall to get to 5-1 on the season. A lot of teams dropped out of the top 50 after losses, including Memphis (No. 54), NC State (No. 54), South Carolina (No. 55), Auburn (No. 56) and Texas Tech (No. 63). There were more drops from the likes of Arkansas (No. 62), Syracuse (No. 64) and Cal (No. 65) with losses. Texas State, meanwhile, escaped ULM to move to 5-2 overall and up to No. 68, while UNLV beat Nevada to get to 5-1 and move to No. 69.

UTSA seems to have rounded into form with Frank Harris playing again, beating UAB convincingly to move to No. 71, and Virginia Tech has won two of its last three after beating Wake Forest 30-13 to move up to No. 72.

76-100

Houston (No. 78) beat West Virginia on a Hail Mary and Colorado State (No. 84) beat Boise State on a Hail Mary, but other previous results keep both teams from moving higher for now. Michigan State blew a 24-6 fourth-quarter lead against Rutgers and continues to fall apart, now down to No. 88 with Michigan coming to town next week.

USF is a very difficult team to place. Since playing Alabama close and winning the next two games, the Bulls have lost to UAB and FAU convincingly in the last two weeks and have tumbled to No. 93. Army continues to struggle, getting shut out by Troy and dropping to No. 95. Central Michigan (No. 94) is a tough team to play, beating South Alabama but losing to Buffalo and holding on to beat Akron 17-10 this week.

101-133

No. 101 Northern Illinois has wins against Boston College and now Ohio to go with losses against FCS Southern Illinois and Tulsa. But over the last three weeks, the Huskies seem to have turned things around. Keep an eye on them. Sam Houston, still looking for its first win as an FBS program, fell behind quickly to New Mexico State and tumbles down to No. 132. But Nevada, with its 16th consecutive loss, this one to rival UNLV, remains No. 133.

The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState.

The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Photo: Jesse Beals / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.

---

It’s been a while since we’ve had a season without a clear-cut No. 1 team this deep into the fall.

Several teams can make a case, and there are still many big games to be played. But at this point, it’s time for a change. Texas is the new No. 1 in this week’s Athletic 133.

There are two reasons for it. The first is Texas itself. The Longhorns went to Alabama and handled the Crimson Tide in what is the most impressive single win of the season. Texas also took care of business with blowouts of Baylor and Kansas in the last two weeks. Yes, Texas had a brief scare against Wyoming, but the other teams in the top four have each had a scare against an inferior team as well. The Longhorns have played like the best team in the country and have a marquee win. That’s good for No. 1.

The second reason is Georgia. We’re almost halfway through the season, and these slow starts can’t be ignored anymore. The Bulldogs trailed South Carolina at halftime and needed a second-half comeback to beat an Auburn team that was pushed around by Texas A&M last week and barely escaped Cal. Georgia hasn’t lost, but the Dawgs don’t have a notable win, unlike Texas (Alabama), Ohio State (Notre Dame) and Florida State (LSU, Clemson). Sagarin ranks Georgia’s schedule strength at 130th nationally. It’s not that bad, but nothing Georgia has done this year is worth a No. 1 ranking at this point compared to other teams.

Now, believing in Texas might be famous last words for one week. The Longhorns play Oklahoma in Dallas this Saturday. If they win, we might see everyone else come around and rank Texas at No. 1. But I’m making the move now. If the Longhorns lose, well, that’s what I get for thinking Texas has turned a corner. These rankings aren’t meant to be predictive. They’re based solely on what has been accomplished, and thus far, Texas deserves that spot.

GO DEEPER

Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: Why I moved Texas to No. 1 over Georgia

Here is this week’s Athletic 133.

1-10

Outside of Texas and Georgia, the other notable move in this group is USC. The Trojans get jumped by Oregon on account of their results against common opponent Colorado, and by Notre Dame after the Irish rallied to beat Duke in the final seconds. USC now sits at No. 10.

Florida State and Ohio State were both idle, while Oregon and Washington are both off this coming week before playing each other in Seattle on Oct. 14 in a massive game. Michigan finally dominated an opponent (Nebraska) from start to finish like it should, but again, the Wolverines are going to just float around in these rankings until they play a notable opponent (Penn State on Nov. 11) or the teams ahead of them drop games. It’s the same as Georgia. The Bulldogs just started higher. Both teams have played very easy schedules, making their rankings basically irrelevant for now. They have the talent to win the national championship. They just don’t have the resume yet.

GO DEEPER

How good is Washington? After a sizzling start, the Huskies got tested Saturday

11-25

Maybe Alabama has figured some things out? The Crimson Tide have rebounded from the scare at USF with multi-score wins against Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and they move up to No. 11. Oklahoma continues to look dominant but hasn’t played anyone of note yet, so the Sooners sit behind North Carolina and Washington State. We’ll get a good read on Oklahoma against Texas this Saturday.

Duke was one fourth-and-long stop away from beating Notre Dame, so the Blue Devils only fall one spot to No. 15. Oregon State rises ahead of Utah up to No. 17 after beating the shorthanded Utes on Friday night. Ole Miss dropped out of the top 25 after losing to Alabama, but the Rebels are back in at No. 20 after their wild 55-49 win against LSU, which falls to No. 24.

Maryland and Kentucky, both 5-0, have moved into the top 25. The Wildcats sit slightly ahead at No. 21 thanks to the win against Florida this weekend. Texas A&M also slides in at No. 25. The Aggies may have figured things out since Max Johnson became quarterback, with consecutive wins against Auburn and Arkansas.

GO DEEPER

Auerbach’s Top 10: Week 5 leaves some contenders sweating more than others

26-50

Kansas falls just out of the top 25 after its 26-point loss to Texas because it didn’t have quarterback Jalon Daniels. Florida only remains in the top 30 for now by virtue of its win against Tennessee. Louisville is 5-0 but still outside the top 25 due to a weak schedule and close calls against Georgia Tech and Indiana. A home game this Saturday against Notre Dame will give us a true read on the Cardinals. Colorado only falls to No. 32 after rallying to within seven of USC late. The Buffs have a lot of problems, but they can still score.

Tulane remains the top Group of 5 team (No. 34) after a comeback win against UAB, but undefeated Fresno State, James Madison and Air Force are right on the heels of the Green Wave. Fresno State’s game against Wyoming this week is a big one that could boost the Bulldogs into the top 25.

51-75

Arkansas and Mississippi State fall out of the top 50 after lopsided losses to Texas A&M and Alabama, respectively. Troy got back on track with a dominant win against previously undefeated Georgia State and moves up to No. 54. One week after comfortably beating Wake Forest, Georgia Tech lost to Bowling Green, making the Yellow Jackets a difficult team to place. They are now down to No. 61.

USF has beaten Rice and Navy since its narrow loss against Alabama, and the Bulls rise up to No. 65. Texas State is 4-1 and ninth nationally in scoring, and the Bobcats are up to No. 66. Michigan State allowed 26 points to Iowa but just one offensive touchdown, which is a pretty typical way to lose to Iowa these days. Purdue handled Illinois 44-19 in a stunning final score; the Boilermakers move up to No. 57 and Illinois falls to No. 72, remaining ahead of Toledo for now because of its head-to-head win. Miami (Ohio) and UNLV are both 4-1 and squeeze into the top 75 as teams to keep an eye on in their respective conferences.

76-100

Baylor scored 29 points in the final 19 minutes to come back and beat UCF 36-35 and move up to No. 79. The Bears remain behind UTSA for now due to their loss to common opponent Texas State. San Diego State has lost four in a row, including 49-10 to Air Force on Saturday, and continues to tumble down to No. 83. Virginia Tech got a much-needed 38-21 win against Pitt to jump up to No. 87.

GO DEEPER

Saturday Superlatives: Top Week 5 highlights, from Ole Miss-LSU to Caleb Williams

101-133

Bowling Green, which was blown out by Ohio a week ago, beat Georgia Tech 38-27 to jump up to No. 101. Stanford drops into this group at No. 102 after a 42-6 loss to Oregon. ULM remains at No. 103 after Appalachian State needed a 54-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Warhawks. Virginia is now the lowest-ranked Power 5 at No. 104 after losing to Boston College, which previously held the title.

Arkansas State, which was No. 133 after Week 2, has won three games in a row and is up to No. 113 after beating UMass. Sam Houston nearly notched its first FBS win but allowed a late Jacksonville State touchdown drive and lost in overtime. Buffalo beat Akron for its first win to get out of the bottom spot, and the new No. 133 is Nevada, which is now on a 15-game losing streak.

The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.

---

We entered this much-hyped college football weekend ready to learn about a lot of teams. Some flailed in the spotlight while others came through. But the biggest lesson we learned is that Florida State is truly back to being one of the best teams in the country. After an overtime win at Clemson, the Seminoles move up to No. 2 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.

Yes, it was ugly early. Yes, Clemson missed a chip-shot field goal late. But the fact those things happened highlighted how Clemson has fallen and how the Seminoles have risen to take that place, ending a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry. Clemson didn’t have a Keon Coleman-esque player who made a play when the team needed it most. Instead, it missed a field goal with a late-addition kicker and made an ill-advised wide receiver screen throw on third-and-1 in overtime.

Now Florida State sits at 4-0 with a blowout victory against LSU and a win at Clemson. The Seminoles have an argument to be No. 1. They have some of the best wins. They only sit at No. 2 for me because they needed to escape Boston College last week. Georgia doesn’t have the big wins but it also hasn’t been in real danger.

On this exact date two years ago, Florida State dropped to 0-4 after a loss to Louisville, two weeks after a loss to FCS Jacksonville State. FSU couldn’t afford to buy out another coach in less than two years. It had to let Mike Norvell figure it out. Now it sits here as a national championship contender. The Seminoles have figured it out. It’s a lesson in patience, roster building and believing in the people you have.

Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.

1-10

Quite a bit of change in this group. FSU jumps Texas because it has two top-level wins. Ohio State moves up to No. 4 after beating Notre Dame with one second to play. Washington continues to wreck everyone and look like the best team in the country, but it won’t play a top-level opponent until Oregon on Oct. 14.

Utah beat UCLA to move to 4-0 and Cam Rising hasn’t even played yet, so look out for the Utes. Penn State overwhelmed Iowa 31-0 and slides up as well. Michigan slips to No. 8 not just because the Wolverines haven’t played anyone noteworthy, but because they haven’t been all that impressive, either. They are 0-3-1 against the spread, and that 31-7 win against Rutgers on Saturday was a 10-point game deep into the third quarter. I don’t doubt the talent on Michigan. We just haven’t seen it yet like we have with Washington. When we do, the rankings will react to it. Is this contradictory to the Georgia ranking? Maybe. But the two-time defending national champions get that benefit of the doubt for now. All Michigan has to do is win its games and it’ll be fine.

USC battled into the fourth quarter with an Arizona State team that Fresno State shut out last week, so the Trojans tumble. Oregon moves into the top 10 after a 42-6 win against Colorado, bringing the Buffs back down to earth.

GO DEEPER

Auerbach’s Top 10: A shakeup at the top for early-season resume-builders

11-25

Notre Dame only falls to No. 11, since the Irish were a few inches away from beating Ohio State. LSU needed a last-second field goal to beat Arkansas and stays at No. 12. Alabama got through a brutal first half against Ole Miss to win 24-10 and sort of get back on track, moving up to No. 15. Washington State beat Oregon State 38-35 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score, and Wazzu moves up to No. 16.

Kansas is 4-0 for the second consecutive year and moves into the top 25 after beating BYU 38-27. Kansas State beat UCF 44-31 and also moves into the top 25. TCU looks like the TCU we expected this season after a 34-17 win against SMU, and Colorado hangs in the top 25 for now because of that victory over TCU.

GO DEEPER

Sampson: Notre Dame’s coaches got in the players’ way against Ohio State

26-50

Maryland is quietly 4-0 after taking care of business at Michigan State and is No. 26. UCLA really struggled at Utah, but it was just a 14-7 final score, so the Bruins only drop to No. 27. Ole Miss and Clemson also fall out of the top 25 after their losses.

Kentucky, at No. 33, handled itself against Vanderbilt and hosts Florida this upcoming weekend for a big matchup. Syracuse is 4-0 and No. 36 after beating Army and finishes undefeated in nonconference play for the first time since the Orange joined a conference in 1991. Fresno State is also 4-0 after taking care of Kent State and inches up to No. 37.

Iowa and Auburn drop into the 40s after ugly offensive performances against Penn State and Texas A&M, respectively. No. 46 James Madison held on to beat Utah State, No. 47 Wyoming returned a block field goal in the final minutes to beat Appalachian State, and West Virginia beat Texas Tech to jump into the top 50.

GO DEEPER

Dochterman: Wow, Iowa makes offensive football look hard

51-75

No. 51 Ohio continues to do what it needs to and beat Bowling Green 38-7. This team might be undefeated if Kurtis Rourke didn’t get hurt in the opener against San Diego State. Georgia Tech jumps up to No. 53 after a comfortable 30-16 win at Wake Forest. Fellow Atlanta resident Georgia State is 4-0 after a 30-17 win at Coastal Carolina to put the Sun Belt on notice and move up to No. 54. Marshall beat Virginia Tech 24-17 and looked like the better team from the start, and the Herd make a big jump to No. 55 because of it.

Texas Tech lost to West Virginia and lost quarterback Tyler Shough to a broken fibula. A Big 12 dark horse has turned downward very fast, down to No. 60. Rutgers played Michigan tough for more than a half and the Scarlet Knights do look improved, inching up to No. 57. USF seems to have something under Alex Golesh, after a 42-29 win against Rice, and moves up to No. 69. Troy held on to beat Western Kentucky 27-24 and moves to No. 58. Boise State beat San Diego State 34-31 for a big Mountain West road win to move up to No. 64.

GO DEEPER

Ten questions about the AP Top 25: When will Georgia’s No. 1 reign end? Who will be next?

76-100

Texas State continues to win but slip a little because Baylor continues to fall, and because of Texas State’s loss to UTSA. South Alabama, one week after blowing out Oklahoma State, lost 34-30 to Central Michigan in a stunner and dropped to No. 83. UNLV is 3-1 under Barry Odom after a comfortable 45-28 win against UTEP, moving up to No. 85.

Minnesota slides dramatically down these rankings to No. 90 after blowing a 31-10 fourth-quarter lead and losing to Northwestern in overtime. Indiana needed a missed field goal and four overtimes to escape Akron, so the Hoosiers drop to No. 91. Jacksonville State and RichRod are 3-1 and move up to No. 94 after a 21-0 thumping of Eastern Michigan. Stanford played Arizona close but lost 21-20, dropping to No. 96. Colorado State beat Middle Tennessee 31-23 and moves into the top 100.

GO DEEPER

Mandel’s Final Thoughts: College football or WWE? Lessons from an angry Week 4

101-133

Virginia Tech and Virginia drop to this group. The Hokies are 1-3 after a loss to Marshall. The fact they were underdogs to begin with says a lot. Virginia rallied but lost to NC State on a last-second field goal to remain winless.

Hawaii continues to show improvement, beating New Mexico State at home to move up to No. 115. UMass continues to fall since beating NMSU in Week 0, losing to New Mexico in overtime and dropping to No. 119. Arkansas State beat Southern Miss for Butch Jones’ first Sun Belt win over a team that isn’t ULM and moves up to No. 123. That’s a win that could be a needed sign of progress this year.

UConn lost 41-7 to Duke and appears to have taken a massive step back this year, falling to No. 128. Sam Houston finally scored a touchdown, but has just 10 points through three games, so the Bearkats drop to No. 132. Buffalo remains at the bottom after a 45-38 loss to Louisiana.

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)