The Penn State Nittany Lions opened the 2025 common season because the No. 2 staff within the Related Press ballot and one of many high contenders to win the nationwide championship. Going into Week 7, they aren’t even going to be ranked.
Penn State fell fully out of the highest 25 after its second consecutive loss on Saturday, dropping a shocking 42-37 resolution to a UCLA staff that was taking part in with an interim teaching employees and appeared to be at an actual threat of going 0-12 this season earlier than that win.
Penn State’s rating drop is stunning, however justified
Going from No. 2 to unranked in a span of six weeks is essentially unprecedented in school soccer, but it surely’s actually onerous to argue towards it for this Penn State staff.
When the Nittany Lions misplaced their first sport of the season per week to Oregon, it was regarding solely as a result of it was Penn State following its standard narrative: Win the video games it ought to win, lose to no matter high staff it’s taking part in.
It continued head coach James Franklin’s lack of ability to beat the kind of top-tier groups it must beat to be able to lastly break by and win a championship. We have seen this from Penn State for just about all of Franklin’s tenure.
The belief was that Penn State would hold profitable the subsequent few video games towards UCLA, Northwestern and Iowa earlier than shedding the Ohio State sport after which closing out the season with wins towards all people else to go to 10-2. That’s what Penn State does. That’s the narrative.
However shedding to UCLA busted that narrative. Now, Penn State cannot even say it’s profitable the video games it’s purported to win. And now, each sport on the schedule appears to be like to be up for grabs. How might you suppose in any other case?
How might you additionally probably give this staff a high 25 vote if you’re an AP voter? Penn State goes into Week 7 of the season and has not overwhelmed a single Energy 4 program. It sleep walked by a laughably comfortable non-conference schedule, is 0-2 towards Energy 4 faculties and simply misplaced to arguably the worst FCS staff (amongst all conferences, not simply Energy 4) within the nation. And to high it off, UCLA solely had two days to follow its new sport plan.
Ignore the preseason rankings. Ignore the hype. Ignore the expectations. What about that precise resume is deserving of a spot within the high 25?
The reply is totally nothing. That’s the outcome they acquired. It’s the outcome they’ve earned. It’s as much as them to show they’re deserving of taking part in their method again in, and it ought to take much more than a win towards Northwestern this week.
