The Athletic's Stewart Mandel is a preseason Penn State believer, placing the Nittany Lions atop his too-early top 25 for 2025. "I'm skeptical they can actually pull it off," Mandel writes, "but on paper, James Franklin's team deserves that status given how many players are returning."

The Nittany Lions ended in the top five for the first time since 2005. It’s the first time the Big Ten has had three teams in the final top five. Ohio State was No. 1 and Oregon was No. 3.

The Ohio State University Buckeyes are national champions after defeating Notre Dame 34-23 in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night. It was the first college football championship game played under the new 12-team format implemented this season.