The US LBM Coacfhes Poll has had a tough time predicting how Penn State seasons will play out over the last 15 seasons.
If history is any indication, the preseason rankings may look a bit different by the end of the college football season compared to their preseason versions. This is typically to be expected every year, and Penn State's history in the coaches poll for the majority of the past 15 seasons shows why. Coaches have had some difficulty in predicting Penn State's trajectory for the upcoming college football season.
Just once in the past 15 seasons has a preseason ranking for Penn State come within three spots of the final ranking for the Nittany Lions, other than one season with no preseason ranking ending without a top-25 finish. With the release of the 2025 preseason US LBM Coaches Poll set to be released soon, this may be a good time to take a look back at how the coaches poll has seen Penn State going into the year and how those seasons ended.
Below is a look back at the last 15 seasons of Penn State football, where the Nittany Lions ranked in the preseason coaches poll, and where the program was ranked in the final coaches poll.
2010
- Preseason ranking: 14
- Final coaches poll ranking: Not ranked
The final full season coached by legendary head coach Joe Paterno got off to a rough start with a blowout loss on the road against No. 1 Alabama. Penn State also dropped Big Ten games to Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan State before ending the season with a loss to Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators in the Outback Bowl. It would be the final bowl game coached by Paterno.
2011
- Preseason ranking: 25
- Final coaches poll ranking: Not ranked
Penn State quietly jumped into the thick of the Big Ten championship hunt despite a low preseason ranking and an early home loss to Alabama for a second striaght season, but the story of the Nittany Lions was marred by shocking off-the-field headlines that rocked the entire community and program, and ultimately brought the Paterno era to an unceremonious end. Penn State's 8-1 start with a historic milestone victory for Paterno ultimately ended with a 16-point loss to Houston in the TicketCity Bowl.
2012
- Preseason ranking: Not eligible
- Final coaches poll ranking: Not eligible
Penn State's brief sanction era of the program saw Bill O'Brien get more out of his team than most around college football expected to see in 2012. After a tough 0-2 start to the season, Penn State went 8-2 the rest of the way with tough road losses at Ohio State and Nebraska as the season went on. Penn State celebrated a regular-season finale against Wisconsin but stayed home for the postseason due to a postseason ban issued by the NCAA.
Because of the postseason ban placed on the program, Penn State was ineligible to receive votes in the coaches poll.
2013
- Preseason ranking: Not eligible
- Final coaches poll ranking: Not eligible
Penn State was once again ineligible to receive votes in the coaches poll due to serving the second season on a postseason ban issued by the NCAA. Penn State was still undermanned with its roster limitations and the impact of the NCAA sanctions, but Bill O'Brien still managed to get a second winning season out of the Nittany Lions before taking an offer to become the head coach of the Houston Texans. A regular-season finale victory over No. 14 Wisconsin in Madison sent this beleaguered program into another offseason on a winning note against all odds.
2014
- Preseason ranking: Not ranked
- Final coaches poll ranking: Not ranked
For a third straight season, Penn State was ineligible to receive votes in the coaches poll to start the year as the program entered the third season of its four-year postseason ban. But the sanctions were lifted by the NCAA under legal pressure before the end of September so the Nittany Lions were eligible for votes by the end of the season. Penn State ended the first season under James Franklin with a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl and a 7-6 final record.
2015
- Preseason ranking: Not ranked
- Final coaches poll ranking: Not ranked
Penn State showed it had a lot of work to do to rebuild its roster with a season-opening loss to Temple. The Nittany Lions were 7-2 going into November before losing each of its last four games of the season, including a Gator Bowl loss to Georgia. Trace McSorley filled in for an injured Christian Hackenberg and nearly led a comeback against the Bulldogs. Perhaps it was a bit of foreshadowing of things to come for Penn State.
2016
- Preseason ranking: Not ranked
- Final coaches poll ranking: 7
For the first time since the 2009 season, Penn State finished the season ranked in the final coaches poll of the season. A surprise run to a Big Ten championship led by McSorley and Saquon Barkley, and ignited by Grant Haley's memorable touchdown off a blocked Ohio State field goal, turned the program around and lifted Penn State into the national title conversation for years to come.
2017
- Preseason ranking: 6
- Final coaches poll ranking: 8
After winning the Big Ten in 2016, Penn State continued the good vibes with a stellar start to the 2017 season. Penn State climbed to no. 2 in the coaches poll before dropping back-to-back heartbreakers to Ohio State and Michigan State to knock Penn State out of the BCS championship hunt. Penn State did end the season with a solid win over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl to secure a top-10 finish.
2018
- Preseason ranking: 9
- Final coaches poll ranking: 17
For a second straight season, Penn State suffered back-to-back soul-crushing losses to Ohio State and Michigan State to derail any hope of playing for a Big Ten title. A blowout loss at Michigan was the nail in the coffin, and Kentucky handed Penn State a loss in the Citrus Bowl to hand Penn State a disappointing 9-4 final record.
2019
- Preseason ranking: 14
- Final coaches poll ranking: 9
Penn State worked its way back into the Big Ten championship hunt in 2019 and appeared to be in the driver's seat for a spot in the Big Ten championship game until losing on the road at Minnesota. Penn State once again lost to Ohio State a few weeks later, but the Nittany Lions ended the season with an explosive Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis.
2020
- Preseason ranking: 7
- Final coaches poll ranking: Not ranked
The 2020 season got a later start than usual due ot the Big Ten delaying the start of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Penn State started the year with high expectations, but the pandemic season was never in sync for the Nittany Lions. Five straight losses started the season, but Penn State rallied for four straight wins to close out the season, with no bowl trip accepted in a bizarre season from start to finish.
2021
- Preseason ranking: 20
- Final coaches poll ranking: Not ranked
Penn State started the season off well by picking up a hard-fought road win at Wisconsin and climbed into the top four of the polls before a 23-20 loss at Iowa and a historic nine-overtime loss to Illinois took things off course in a hurry. Penn State went on to lose additional games to Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State before dropping the Outback Bowl to Arkansas.
2022
- Preseason ranking: Not ranked
- Final coaches poll ranking: 7
Penn State may have been the third-best team in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Michigan, but the Nittany Lions proved they were still one of the top-10 teams in the country with a blowout victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl to end the season. Penn State started the season outside the top 25 in the coaches poll and took all year climbing the rankings.
2023
- Preseason ranking: 7
- Final coaches poll ranking: 13
The 2023 season was similar to the 2022 season in that Penn State was clearly the third-best team in the Big Ten behind the Buckeyes and Wolverines, who each defeated Penn State in the regular season. Penn State went 10-2 in the regular season before ending the season with a Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss, which knocked Penn State out of a top-10 finish.
2024
- Preseason ranking: 9
- Final coaches poll ranking: 5
Penn State spent the entire 2024 season somewhere in the top-10 of the rankings last season en route to a spot in the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff semifinal. Penn State's success in 2024 raised the bar for a program that will be one of the popular national Big Ten and national title picks in the 2025 season.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Where Penn State started and ended in US LBM Coaches Poll since 2010
Category: General Sports
