Penn State lands at No. 8 in final AP poll

UNIVERSITY PARK – The Nittany Lions have finished in the Top 10 – again.

Penn State moved up one spot in the final AP Top 25 poll, going from No. 9 to No. 8. The Lions moved up with a 35-28 win over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30. Both Auburn and USC dropped out of the Top 10 following disappointing bowl losses.

It marks back-to-back Top 10 finishes for Penn State head coach James Franklin and his staff.

It was Penn State’s first back-to-back Top 10 finishes since the 2008-09 campaign.

The Nittany Lions’ only losses were to Ohio State (39-38) and Michigan State (27-24).

Penn State finished the season at 11-2. It will return to the field for the annual Blue-White Game in April.

Here’s the entire Top 25:

1. Alabama

2. Georgia

3. Oklahoma

4. Clemson

5. Ohio State

6. UCF

7. Wisconsin

8. Penn State

9. TCU

10. Auburn

11. Notre Dame

12. USC

13. Miami

14. Oklahoma State

15. Michigan State

16. Washington

17. Northwestern

18. LSU

19. Mississippi State

20. Stanford

21. USF

22. Boise State

23. NC State

24. Virginia Tech

25. Memphis