IS GLAD SPRING TRAINING IS FINALLY HERE
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- After its convincing 38-24 win over Illinois last night, Penn State moved up from No. 14 to No. 7 in my latest Associated Press poll ballot. The Nittany Lions, of course, benefited from the losses by Southern Cal, Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin and bolstered their reputation after common opponent Oregon State shocked USC on Thursday night.
The AP and USAToday coaches' polls will be released sometime early this afternoon and I imagine Penn State will be ranked somewhere between No. 6 and No. 8. If they keep winning, the Lions won't ever play an opponent ranked higher than them which could hurt them in the long run. The Wisconsin loss actually wasn't a good thing if you're looking picture. Of course, if Penn State keeps winning none of this may even matter. Here's my ballot in its entirety:
1. Oklahoma (4-0)
2. Alabama (5-0)
3. Missouri (4-0)
4. LSU (4-0)
5. Texas (4-0)
6. Texas Tech (4-0)
7. Penn State (5-0)
8. BYU (4-0)
9. Southern Cal (2-1)
10. South Florida (5-0)
11. Georgia (4-1)
12. Florida (3-1)
13. Ohio State (4-1)
14. Kansas (3-1)
15. Auburn (4-1)
16. Wisconsin (3-1)
17. Utah (5-0)
18. Boise State (3-0)
19. Vanderbilt (4-0)
20. Fresno State (4-1)
21. Oklahoma State (4-0)
22. Oregon (4-1)
23. TCU (4-1)
24. Virginia Tech (4-1)
25. Connecticut (5-0)
Joe McIntyre is a senior at Penn State majoring in journalism. He covered the Penn State football beat in 2011 for the Daily Collegian. Follow him on Twitter here @JoeMcIntyre5.
