Latest ESPN rankings knock Penn State Nittany Lions down multiple spots after shutting out FIU
The latest ESPN FPI rankings are now live, and the Penn State Nittany Lions have a clear feedback loop: improvement is needed. Winning their first two games by a combined 80-11 hasn’t been enough for head coach James Franklin, who called out the offensive line. Small wins from some freshmen are great, but the Nittany […]
The latest ESPN FPI rankings are now live, and the Penn State Nittany Lions have a clear feedback loop: improvement is needed. Winning their first two games by a combined 80-11 hasn’t been enough for head coach James Franklin, who called out the offensive line. Small wins from some freshmen are great, but the Nittany Lions have title hopes.
Penn State’s advanced metrics simply aren’t meeting preseason expectations. Sitting fifth entering Week 2, the Nittany Lions are trying to find their highest gear before Oregon comes to town at the end of September. Villanova and a bye week come first.
Let’s take a look at where Penn State’s ESPN ranking lands and some of the reasons why they fell.
Penn State Falls in ESPN FPI Rankings
The Nittany Lions now rank seventh in ESPN’s FPI rankings. They fell two spots despite shutting out FIU 34-0. Here’s why On3 believes that’s the case.
“Penn State kept it rolling with a 34-0 win over FIU on Saturday. Drew Allar had 200 yards and two touchdowns in the win while Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton combined for 220 yards and two touchdowns.
Still, the Nittany Lions dropped two spots in the FPI while others like Alabama and USC moved up. Penn State has Villanova at home next week before hosting Oregon on September 27th.”
ESPN has Penn State’s projected wins at 9.9 with a 3% chance of winning out and a 54.5% chance to make the College Football Playoff. They have the eighth-best odds to win the National Championship, which is disappointing after they were tied for second-best betting odds entering the season.
