If the 2020 college football season does indeed happen, expectations will be high for Penn State according to the nation's coaches as the Nittany Lions were ranked seventh in the initial USA Today Coaches Poll which was released on Thursday.
It is the Lions' highest ranking in the preseason Coaches Poll since they were ranked sixth before the 2017 season.
Penn State is one of six teams from the Big Ten ranked before the season. Ohio State, fresh off of last year's College Football Playoff appearance, is the highest-ranked team in the conference, coming in at #2 right behind national runner-up Clemson. Outside of the top ten, Wisconsin is ranked #12, Michigan is #15, Minnesota is #18, and Iowa is #23. Cancelled 2020 opponent Virginia Tech comes in at #24.
The full rankings list can be found below:
| Ranking | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson |
| 2 | Ohio State |
| 3 | Alabama |
| 4 | Georgia |
| 5 | LSU |
| 6 | Oklahoma |
| 7 | Penn State |
| 8 | Florida |
| 9 | Oregon |
| 10 | Notre Dame |
| 11 | Auburn |
| 12 | Wisconsin |
| 13 | Texas A&M |
| 14 | Texas |
| 15 | Michigan |
| 16 | Oklahoma State |
| 17 | USC |
| 18 | Minnesota |
| 19 | North Carolina |
| 20 | Utah |
| 21 | UCF |
| 22 | Cincinnati |
| 23 | Iowa |
| 24 | Virginia Tech |
| 25 | Iowa State |
