It’s 100 days until Penn State embarks on its 136th season of college football, when the Nittany Lions host Nevada on Aug. 30 in a Beaver Stadium that will be featuring temporary seats in the upper decks of the west side as the 65-year-old venue undergoes a three-year renovation.
(The Wolf Pack could use a facelift themselves: They are 7-30 over the past three seasons, and a scant 43.5-point underdog against the Nittany Lions.)As the much-anticipated countdown to the 2025 season begins in earnest, there is little doubt that James Franklin — entering his 12th season as head coach at Penn State — has built the Nittany Lions into a legitimate national championship contender.
Many media experts are picking Penn State to be the preseason No. 1. The last time Penn State was ranked No. 1 in college football, as decided by longtime arbiter The Associated Press, was nearly three decades ago, back in October 1997. (AP’s 2025 preseason rankings will not be released until mid-August.)
As for 2025? Here’s how Ari Wasserman of On3 put it: “Why shouldn’t Penn State be No. 1?”The last time the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press poll was Oct. 18, 1997 — and they won that day, 16-15, vs. unranked Minnesota in Beaver Stadium. But due to the narrow victory, PSU dropped to No. 2 the next week. The Nittany Lions lost three of their next five games to finish 9-3 and rank No. 16 in the final AP poll.
The highest Penn State has been ranked in the AP poll under Franklin was No. 2 for two weeks back in 2017. After defeating Northwestern, 31-7, on the road on Oct. 7 that year, they jumped from No. 4 to No. 2 in the AP poll. They then faced Michigan at home on Oct. 21 after a bye week, and trounced the No. 19 Wolverines, 42-13. The next week (Oct. 28), the second-ranked Nittany Lions lost to the sixth-ranked Buckeyes in Columbus, 39-38, after leading in the fourth quarter. They fell to No. 16, then bounced back with four wins, including a 35-28 victory over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl, to finish No. 8 in the final AP poll
Overall, Penn State has been No. 1 in the AP poll 21 times, according to CollegePollArchive.com. That ranks PSU No. 17 in the history of the AP poll, dating back to 1936. Alabama is first, with 141, followed by Ohio State (106 — including at the end of the 2024 season), Oklahoma (101), Notre Dame (98) and USC (91).
Penn State was No. 1 twice at the end of the season, when it really counted, as the Nittany Lions were named national champions by the AP following the 1982 and 1986 seasons under Joe Paterno. In the 1982 preseason, Penn State was ranked No. 8 in the AP poll. And in the 1986 preseason, Penn State was ranked No. 6 in the AP poll.
In 2025, the Nittany Lions’ regular-season schedule includes seven home games, punctuated by the Sept. 27 visit of Oregon. They will play five road contests, with their trip to The Horseshoe to meet defending national champ Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 1. Like Penn State, the Buckeyes are featured in nearly all of the preseason Top 5 rankings, with the Ducks making many of those lists as well.
Other key dates on Penn State’s potential Road to No. 1 in 2025: Big Ten championship game, Dec. 6, Indianapolis; first-round College Football Playoff, Dec. 19-20 (tentative); CFP quarterfinals, Dec. 31-Jan. 1; CFP semifinals, Fiesta/Peach, Jan. 8-9; and the CFP title game, Monday, Jan. 19 in Miami.
Here’s a look at where the Nittany Lions stand with several preseason rankings, 100 days before they kick off the 2025 season and 242 days until the mantle of a true No. 1 will be decided on the field in the CFP national title game
Overall, Penn State has been No. 1 in the AP poll 21 times, according to CollegePollArchive.com. That ranks PSU No. 17 in the history of the AP poll, dating back to 1936. Alabama is first, with 141, followed by Ohio State (106 — including at the end of the 2024 season), Oklahoma (101), Notre Dame (98) and USC (91).
Penn State was No. 1 twice at the end of the season, when it really counted, as the Nittany Lions were named national champions by the AP following the 1982 and 1986 seasons under Joe Paterno. In the 1982 preseason, Penn State was ranked No. 8 in the AP poll. And in the 1986 preseason, Penn State was ranked No. 6 in the AP poll.
In 2025, the Nittany Lions’ regular-season schedule includes seven home games, punctuated by the Sept. 27 visit of Oregon. They will play five road contests, with their trip to The Horseshoe to meet defending national champ Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 1. Like Penn State, the Buckeyes are featured in nearly all of the preseason Top 5 rankings, with the Ducks making many of those lists as well.
Other key dates on Penn State’s potential Road to No. 1 in 2025: Big Ten championship game, Dec. 6, Indianapolis; first-round College Football Playoff, Dec. 19-20 (tentative); CFP quarterfinals, Dec. 31-Jan. 1; CFP semifinals, Fiesta/Peach, Jan. 8-9; and the CFP title game, Monday, Jan. 19 in Miami.
Here’s a look at where the Nittany Lions stand with several preseason rankings, 100 days before they kick off the 2025 season and 242 days until the mantle of a true No. 1 will be decided on the field in the CFP national title game:
WHO HAS PENN STATE NO. 1?
ARI WASSERMAN/ON3
Top 5: PSU, Texas, Clemson, Ohio State, LSU
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The skinny: “This isn’t the super-team era anymore. With that in mind, look at what Penn State is bringing back from a team that was a drive away from going to the national title game last season. They have a quarterback in Drew Allar who may be a top-5 pick in the NFL Draft next year, the best running back duo in the country in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, along with one of the best edge rushers in Dani-Dennis Sutton. Oh, and Penn State addressed its receiver problem by picking up Kyron Hudson (USC), Devonte Ross (Troy) and, most recently, Trebor Pena (Syracuse) in the portal. Why shouldn’t Penn State be No. 1?”
MARK SCHLABACH/ESPN
Top 5: PSU, Clemson, Texas, Georgia, Ohio State
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The skinny: “After finally turning the corner under coach James Franklin in 2024, the Nittany Lions look loaded for bear this coming season. With Allar, Allen and Singleton returning, Penn State should have one of the most balanced offenses in the FBS, especially if Allar takes the next step as a downfield passer. Adding Pena, Ross and Hudson was critical…Penn State’s most important offseason addition might be new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who helped guide Ohio State to a CFP national title last season. He’s the highest-paid coordinator in the FBS at $3.1 million per season.”
JOEL KLATT/FOX SPORTS
Top 5: PSU, Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson
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The skinny: “Penn State is following the blueprint of the teams that have recently won the national championship, which is why it’s in this spot. You look at what Michigan did in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024, both teams had a core group of veteran players stay. They each had veteran quarterbacks and were excellent at the line of scrimmage. They also had chips on their shoulders due to how their seasons ended in years prior…I like this team a lot. It’s proven that it can beat the teams that it should beat. We haven’t seen Penn State win the game where it needs to step up and get the victory in what I call a matchup game, where the talent is equal. I believe Penn State can win those games as it got real close to doing so in 2024.”
A KEY NO. 2: STEWART MANDEL/THE ATHLETIC
Top 5: Texas, PSU, Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame
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The skinny: Mandel previously had Penn State No. 1, and revised his ranking to No. 2 on Wednesday. “Penn State most closely fits the 2023 Michigan/2024 Ohio State ‘everybody’s staying’ mold, but last year’s College Football Playoff semifinalist still had one glaring deficiency: wide receiver. Coach James Franklin hopes he’s addressed that with a trio of transfers: USC’s Kyron Hudson, Troy’s Devonte Ross and Pena, a breakout star on last season’s 10-win Syracuse team (8 
