Penn State football owns its highest preseason ranking in three decades, after all. Coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions are No. 3 in the first US LBM Coaches Poll of the 2025 season, released Monday.

In 1999, after starting No. 3 in the preseason AP poll, Penn State spent eight weeks at No. 2, then lost three straight games, before defeating Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl to finish No. 11 in the ...

Penn State started the 1997 season ranked no. 2 in the coaches poll behind Florida. The Nittany Lions started off no. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 that same season.