Penn State received 1,203 points in the final AP Top 25 poll, just eight behind Texas for fourth. Ohio State was No. 1, followed by Notre Dame and Oregon. Penn State has finished in the AP top 10 five times in James Franklin's 11 seasons as head coach. Franklin's teams have seven top-20 finishes since 2016.

Penn State ended the 2024 college football season one win shy of playing for a national championship, but the Nittany Lions will close the books on the season with the highest AP ranking for the program under head coach James Franklin. Penn State was ranked no. 5 in the final AP Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.

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.