Penn State slips in AP Poll, Ducks hold, Mario Cristobal and Miami climb to No. 2

Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) carries the ball Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, during the Big Ten Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Ducks defeated the Nittany Lions, 45-37.
Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) carries the ball Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, during the Big Ten Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Ducks defeated the Nittany Lions, 45-37. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Moments ago the Week 5 AP came out, with Ohio State remaining at No. 1. Miami vaulted to second after their 26-7 win over Florida, and Penn State slipped to No. 3 following a bye.

Oregon remains at No. 6 behind Georgia and LSU, just ahead of Oklahoma and Florida State. Indiana vaulted to No. 11 on the strength of their 63-10 pasting of Illinois, which fell to No. 23.

At 4-0 USC rose to No. 23, while 4-0 Washington remains unranked. Five of the Top 10 are from the SEC and 10 of the Top 25. If the playoffs came today the Big Ten would place four in the bracket.

Saturday's clash in Happy Valley pits No. 3 vs No. 6, the destination for ESPN College Football GameDay and the top-ranked matchup of the week.

Asked about Penn State after Saturday's 41-7 win in the Civil War, Dan Lanning kept his comments generic.

"I think we're going to really good gauge that as we play Penn State," he said.

" I think it's a team that's obviously extremely talented. I feel good about our team. I really like our team. This will be good environment for us to go play in. We'll be playing people that have a lot of talent as well and good scheme on both sides of the ball. It'll be a real challenge for us."

James Franklin downplayed the idea of it being a big game, emphasizing his focus on going 1-0 every week and getting some recruiting done.

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