Penn State football falls to lowest ranking of season in final AP Poll

Penn State football ended the 2023 season with a 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl to finish with a 10-3 record overall. After the National Championship game on Monday night, the final AP Poll of the season was released, which revealed a disappointing end spot for the Nittany Lions based on the expectations coming into the fall. Where did James Franklin and Penn State end up to finish up the year?

Penn State football drops to lowest ranking of the year in final AP Poll

Penn State football finished No. 13 in the final AP Poll of the season, a three-spot drop from where the Nittany Lions were entering the Peach Bowl. The highest rank received from a voter was No. 8 by Dave Reardon. The lowest rank was No. 13 by Brett McMurphy.

The No. 13 ranking is the lowest of the season for the Nittany Lions. Penn State football has been ranked in the AP Poll now for 30 consecutive weeks dating back to Week 2 of the 2022 season. It is the sixth time that the Nittany Lions have finished inside the top 20 during James Franklin’s coaching tenure and the fourth time that the team has been ranked from wire-to-wire throughout the season.

Looking ahead to 2024

Penn State football is already projected to be a contender for the new expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024. Many way-to-early predictions have the Nittany Lions ranked somewhere between No. 8-14. Penn State currently has a 25-to-1 chance to win the National Championship next season, which ranks No. 10 in the country.

With both coordinators being replaced this offseason and an influx of players from the transfer portal, there certainly will be a lot of change in 2024.

Spring practices will be important for the new coaches to establish their playbooks and for the incoming transfers to adjust to living in Happy Valley. The first opportunity for fans to watch these new additions will be on April 13 for the Blue-White game.

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