Penn State may not have turned in the kind of overall showing you would have liked to see against Bowling Green in Week 2, but expect the Nittany Lions to be moving up in the updated national rankings when the polls are updated on Sunday. Penn State will be likely to move up thanks to some help from a major upset
Penn State went into Week 2 holding the no. 8 ranking in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 . Despite being a heavy favorite in their home opener, Penn State had to battle for a victory over Bowling Green . Penn State did not take a lead in the game until midway through the third quarter and the defense was ripped apart in the first half before making adjustments at halftime.
The top two posts in the polls should remain unchanged after consensus no. 1 Georgia dominated an FCS opponent (Tennessee Tech), 48-3, and consensus no. 2 Ohio State wasted no time in taking care of Western Michigan in a 56-0 victory in Columbus.
It will be interesting to see how the voting for the top spots is impacted by no. 3 Texas putting on a clinic in the Big House. Texas blasted the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines, 31-12, for a bit of a statement game for the Longhorns. It could be enough to justify moving Texas up a spot or two for some voters, but the top three will remain the same even if the order is slightly modified.
As for the Wolverines, Michigan was already trailing Penn State in the coaches poll by one spot at no. 9 and two spots in the AP poll at no. 10. So Michigan’s loss likely has no impact on Penn State’s ranking one way or the other. Had Michigan won, it would have been a different story with Michigan likely to move ahead and, perhaps, Texas only fall slightly to remain ahead of the Nittany Lions.
The fourth team in both polls, Alabama, had a stressful night for a while at home against South Florida. But the Crimson Tide pulled away with authority in the fourth quarter. Alabama will not be dropping, so Penn State will be locked out of the top four.
Ole Miss, at no. 5 in the US LBM Coacehs Poll and no. 6 in the AP poll will also stay locked in ahead of Penn State after an easy home win against Middle Tennessee. Expect the Rebels to be the new consensus no. 5 after the developments that took place in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday.
Notre Dame is about to tumble
The big change in the top 10 of the rankings this week will be the fall of the Irish. Notre Dame was upset at home by Northern Illinois after having a long-distance field goal in the closing seconds blocked by the Huskies.
Expect Notre Dame to be hammered with this loss, although the Fighting Irish will still remain a top-25 team. But the Irish will unquestionably be falling behind Penn State, and the Nittany Lions should be moving up a spot in the rankings as a result of the reshuffling.
Can Penn State get past Oregon?
Oregon already fell a few spots in the national polls after a shaky performance in the season opener against Idaho. And Boise State just pressed the Ducks once again into the fourth quarter. But the Ducks will likely stay ahead of Penn State this week after grinding out a win against Boise State late Saturday night.
Oregon was two spots ahead of Penn State in the coaches poll (no. 6) with only Notre Dame separating the two. The Ducks were also one spot ahead of Penn State in the AP poll (no. 7). If Penn Stae had played a more dominant game against Bowling Green, perhaps there could be a case to be made, but Oregon will probably manage to remain ahead of Penn State for this week.
Could anyone jump past Penn State?
The only candidates to move ahead of Penn State in the rankings would be Missouri and Utah. Mizzou posted their second-straight shutout to start the season with a 38-0 victory over Buffalo in Week 2, following a 51-0 victory in Week 1 against Murray State. The competition has been light compared to Penn State’s first two opponents, including a road game at West Virginia, so Penn State will probably be able to stay ahead of Missouri this week.
Missouri was one spot behind Penn State in the AP poll (no. 9) and two spots behind in the coaches poll (no. 10) with Michigan sandwiched between the Nittany Lions and Tigers. Missouri will capitalize on the losses by Notre Dame and Michigan the most in the coaches poll.
Utah, the preseason Big 12 favorite in their new conference home, may not be able to make up enough ground on Penn State just yet after starting 2-0 with a 23-12 win against Baylor. The Utes were the no. 11 team in both major polls coming into the week. They will move into the top 10 in each, but passing Penn State is not expected this week.
So where will Penn State be ranked?
My best guess coming out of Week 2 is Penn State will be moving up one spot in each major poll, courtesy of Notre Dame’s loss to NIU. That will put Penn State at no. 7 in the AP poll and coaches poll.
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