Penn State Football skyrockets up AP poll, here’s our latest bowl projection

Penn State Football moved up to no. 11 in the latest AP poll this afternoon after their crucial victory at Camp Randall this weekend over the then 12th ranked Wisconsin Badgers. 

Penn State Football moved up in the latest release of the AP poll Tuesday afternoon, but were unable to crack the top ten, coming in at no. 11.

The Nittany Lions started the year at no. 19, so it appears the voters were rather impressed with their road win at Wisconsin Saturday.

Saturday’s 16-10 win over the Badgers was one of five ranked matchups during week one, and outside of Georgia, you could argue no team in the country holds a more impressive win thus far outside of head coach James Franklin’s squad.

Outside of Penn State Football, other notable takeaways include Auburn, the Nittany Lions’ Week 3 opponent, came in at no. 25 after dismantling Akron 60-10 this weekend. And Ball State, the opponent for the home opener this upcoming weekend, received six votes to be ranked.

This is a Ball State team who won the MAC championship last year, and them receiving votes after a close win over Western Illinois is a telling sign the voters respect them, and are not a team to be overlooked by the Nittany Lions this week.

Penn State Football Bowl projection, following Week 1 of the season:

You never want to project too far out, as every week in college football has the potential for chaos, but long term the win over Wisconsin could position Penn State Football when it comes to a bowl game at the end of the season.

It could come down to Penn State Football, Wisconsin or Iowa for a berth in the Rose Bowl, and this early season win could end up paying dividends in sending the Nittany Lions to Pasadena.

My preseason bowl prediction for Penn State Football was the Rose Bowl, and it remains unchanged for now. Until Penn State Football proves they can play with, or beat Ohio State, we will shelve the playoff talk for now.