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Unbeaten Penn State now No. 5 in Associated Press top 25 college football poll

The Nittany Lions climbed one spot after their 28-7 victory over Michigan State that improved their record to 8-0.

Penn State coach James Franklin watches during warmups before an NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
Penn State coach James Franklin watches during warmups before an NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)Read moreAl Goldis / AP

Undefeated Penn State rose to No. 5 in the Associated Press top 25 poll released Sunday.

The Nittany Lions, who improved to 8-0 Saturday with a 28-7 victory over Michigan State, moved up from No. 6. They inched up to the spot occupied last week by Oklahoma, which was upset, 48-41, by Kansas State and fell to No. 10.

Louisiana State supplanted Alabama as the nation’s No. 1 team after its 23-20 victory over Auburn. The Crimson Tide defeated Arkansas but fell to No. 2, just two points behind the Tigers in the balloting by the media panel. After a bye this week, the two teams meet on Nov. 9 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Penn State climbed to its highest ranking since spending a week at No. 2 midway through the 2017 season. The Nittany Lions are off this week and with the first College Football Playoff rankings being released on Nov. 5, it will be interesting to see how the CFP considers their record and strength of schedule to this point.

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The Lions’ next game is Nov. 9 at unbeaten Minnesota, which jumped from 17th to 13th this week after Saturday’s 52-10 win over Maryland. Two weeks after that, Penn State will match up against Ohio State, the current No. 3 team, in Columbus.