College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 5
By Zach Bigalke
Penn State Nittany Lions. 806. Pick Analysis. 0-0. idle in Week 4. 12. player. Scouting Report
Even as Penn State grapples with the challenges of maintaining in-person instruction in one of the country’s largest coronavirus hotspots, the Nittany Lions prepare for the resumption of fall football in a month. That will translate to a return to the AP Top 25, though James Franklin’s team is likely to find itself down a couple of spots from their No. 7 preseason ranking.
Where they will actually land depends on how pollsters differentiate potential from data points. The Coaches Poll had the Nittany Lions ranked at No. 13 last week, and a similar position just outside the top 10 is likely to be the best they can hope for from AP voters as well. That affords plenty of potential to climb back up into College Football Playoff contention, especially with a schedule that includes interdivisional games against Nebraska and Iowa.
The journey for Penn State begins on October 24 when they travel west to Bloomington for a critical opener against Indiana.