Penn State will begin the 2009 season where it finished the 2008 campaign – among the nation’s top 10.
With the season opener two weeks away, the Nittany Lions are tied for No. 9 with Oklahoma State in the Associated Press pre-season Top 25 poll. The AP pre-season ranking is Penn State’s highest since entering the 1999 season at No 3. The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 8 in the USA Today Coaches’ poll. The Nittany Lions will enter the 2009 season where they finished last year, in the top 10, after earning the No. 8 ranking in the final Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. Penn State posted an 11-2 record, winning the Big Ten Championship for the second time in four years, and played Southern California in the Rose Bowl, earning its 22nd top 10 finish under the Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno.
Florida is No. 1 in the AP poll, followed by Texas, Oklahoma, USC and Alabama. The Nittany Lions and Crimson Tide will resume their rivalry in 2010 and ’11. Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Penn State and Oklahoma State complete the top 10.
Penn State opens the season September 5th against Akron.
Information provided by Penn State Athletics
