Penn State WR Harrison Wallace III (6) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown at West Virginia on Aug. 31. Photo by Paul Burdick | For StateCollege.com
Penn State is staying put in the rankings after a convincing 34-12 season-opening victory at West Virginia. James Franklin’s program will enter its home opener against Bowling Green on Saturday ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25 poll.
The Nittany Lions were among six Big Ten teams in the top 25. Ohio State remained No. 2 behind No.1 Georgia, while Oregon came in at No. 7. Michigan is No. 10 and USC moved up to 13 after a season-opening win over LSU. Iowa rounds out the conference’s ranked teams at 21.
Penn State’s bump comes after a win that showed promise and poise on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Drew Allar led the way with 216 passing yards and three touchdowns, complementing 114 rushing yards and a score from running back Nick Singleton. On defense, Penn State forced two fumbles, broke up five passes and tallied six tackles for loss.
“I think we got a chance to be good on both sides of the ball. I think we got a chance to be more balanced on both sides of the ball,” Franklin said postgame. “When I talk about balance, I’m talking about, you know, both being able to win on the defensive side of the ball, and being able to win on the offensive side of the ball.”
It wasn’t just that the Nittany Lions won, but did so in dominant fashion in front of a sell-out crowd in a hostile road environment. The Mountaineers entered the game with high hopes after finishing with a 9-4 record in 2023 — the most successful season of the Neal Brown era — and received 17 votes in the preseason rankings.
It remains possible that West Virginia has a shot at finishing the year as one of the Big 12’s top programs. But Penn State had no trouble handling business, and didn’t skip a beat through all four quarters, even considering a two-hour weather delay at halftime.
With an expanded Big Ten and new 12-team College Football Playoff, the necessity for a competitive program like the Nittany Lions to face a tough non-conference opponent like the Mountaineers is losing traction. But the win should only help Franklin’s playoff efforts as the season unfolds.
“When you get the win, you know, it’s a huge positive, but if you don’t, then you know it can really start your season off on the wrong path, and you’re going to have to battle through it. … Coming here and getting a win in this type of environment, when it works, I think it’s a huge win,” Franklin said.
Penn State is set to kickoff against the Falcons at noon ET on Saturday, with coverage designated to Big Ten Network. Bowling Green is coming off a 41-17 season-opening win over Fordham.
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