Where Penn State ranks in CBS Sports writer's preseason ranking
Adding fuel to the hype train is the first look at the ranking of every FBS team served up by CBS Sports. Chip Patterson of CBS Sports takes on the duty of ranking all 136 FBS programs throughout the season (USA TODAY Sports will have a similar ranking as well), and he is echoing the praise of so many for Penn State this offseason with his preseason rankings.
Patterson ranks Penn State at no. 2 in his preseason ranking of every FBS program, with only the Texas Longhorns coming in ahead of Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Zane Durant, and the rest of the Nittany Lions. Penn State is one spot ahead of Ohio State in this particular ranking, for whatever that is worth.
Penn State finished the 2024 season ranked fifth in Patterson's ranking. Texas finished at no. 4 and Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Oregon all took the top three spots, respectively. Penn State's only losses in the 2024 season came against Ohio State (regular season), Oregon (Big Ten championship game), and Notre Dame (College Football Playoff semifinal in the Orange Bowl).
In addition to Penn State and Ohio State, other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 15 by Patterson include Oregon (no. 7), Illinois (no. 13), and Michigan (no. 15).
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