No. 7 Penn State lost to unranked UCLA on Saturday afternoon. The initial second-ranked team in the preseason slowly crumbled and Week 6 was just the cherry on top of a so far disappointing season. However, the Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) aren't the only ones not meeting standards.
No. 9 Texas and Clemson were the No. 1 and No. 4 teams in the preseason rankings, respectively. The Longhorns lost to Ohio State in Week 1 and Florida in Week 6, currently holding a 3-2 record with wins against SJSU, UTEP, and San Houston. That lineup of wins are comparable with Penn State's. As for the Tigers, they lost to LSU in Week 1, Georgia Tech in Week 3, and Syracuse in Week 4. They hold a 2-3 record and dropped out of the AP Top 25 Poll completely heading into Week 6.
Combined, three of the top five ranked teams in the preseason hold an 8-7 record after Week 6. No. 1 Ohio State, that took Texas' top spot after winning in week 1, has yet to lose a game. No. 12 Georgia was the fifth-highest ranked team in the preseason and only lost to Alabama in Week 5 so far.
Preseason No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Penn State and No. 4 Clemson are a combined 8-7 after week 6.
— Brandon Zimmerman (@BZSEC) October 4, 2025
Expectations were high for more than just Penn State in 2025. That's not the minimize the disappointment in or critiquing of the blue and white, but it goes to show that teams across the country are not performing to expectations or standards. Only time will tell which team wound up as the biggest disappointment, but it may surprise Nittany Lions fans that the answer being Penn State is not a given.
Before the season, there was already criticism and doubt. People weren't pleased to see so much faith be put into the Nittany Lions. They expected pick city from quarterback Drew Allar and Big Game James to show up still, and both of them have so far in 2025. It just so happens that a Top 10 team took it an extra step forward to disappoint people and fail to meet even the bare minimum expectations.
There wasn't as much doubt in teams, like Texas, in comparison. Right now, it looks like the preseason No. 1 and No. 2 are battling for the most washed season.