Penn State will be starting the 2025 season ranked in its highest preseason spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll since 1999. Expectations are high for Penn State, which will start the year off at no. 3 in the preseason coaches poll. If the past decade is any indication, this should be a grerat starting poitn for the Nittany Lions with seven teams ranked third in the preseason poll going on to win a conference championship, and three of those teams went on to win it all.
There has only been one team in the last decade to start the season ranked third and not finish in the top 10 at the end of the season, but Penn State is hoping to do more than simply finish in the top 10. Penn State has big goals in mind but is not getting caught up in the hype.
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Here is a look at how each of the teams ranked third in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll have performed that season over the past 10 years.
2024: Oregon
The Oregon Ducks mascot walks the sideline during the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21.
Final record: 13-1, Big Ten champion
Final ranking: 4
Oregon was expected to be one of the top teams in the country last season, and the Ducks did not disappoint overall. Oregon went undefeated in the regular season and captured the Big Ten championship in its first year in the conference (defeating Penn State in Indianapolis to do so, of course). Oregon took the top seed in the College Football Playoff with its no. 1 ranking, but the Ducks were eliminated in their first playoff game by eventual national champion Ohio State.
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Final record: 12-2, SEC champion
Final ranking: 5
Alabama grabbed a conference championship in the SEC but the mission of winning a national title fell short with a semifinal loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff.
2022: Georgia
Nov 26, 2022; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers (19) reacts with offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (69) after catching a touchdown pass against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Final record: 15-0, SEC champion, national champion
Final ranking: 1
Georgia was a wrecking machine in 2022 after starting off the season ranked third in the nation in the coaches poll. Georgia became the third team in the last 10 seasons to start the season ranked third in the coaches poll to go on to win the national championship.
2021: Oklahoma
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley celebrates after a touchdown during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Iowa State Cyclones at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. Oklahoma won 28-21. Ou Vs Iowa State Football
Final record: 11-2
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Final ranking: 10
Oklahoma fell shy of playing for a national title by missing out on the College Football Playoff. The Sooners also missed out on playing for the Big 12 championship with a late-season loss to rival Oklahoma State, but Oklahoma still managed to end the year in the top 10.
2020: Alabama
Dec 19, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; The Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate after beating the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
Final record: 13-0, SEC champion, national champion
Final ranking: 1
The 2020 season deserves a bit of an asterisk for the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the entire sports calendar, but leave it to Alabama to be the team to come out on top of an abnormal college football season. Alabama went undefeated and topped Ohio State for the national championship.
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2019: Georgia
Dec 7, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back DJ Daniel (14) reacts after a pass break up against the LSU Tigers in the second quarter in the 2019 SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Final record: 12-2
Final ranking: 4
Georgia was in position for another SEC title run with a shot at a national title in 2019, until the LSU Tigers stormed their way through the college football world. Still, Georgia played for the SEC title and wa sin the playoff hunt all season long.
2018: Ohio State
Sep 29, 2018; University Park, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver K.J. Hill (14) crosses the goal line to score the go ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Final record: 13-1, Big Ten champion
Final ranking: 3
If not for one massive upset on the road against Purdue in the middle of the season, Ohio State would have been in the College Football Playoff. Instead, they were just on the outside looking in and having to settle for a Rose Bowl victory to cap an otherwise memorable season in Columbus.
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Dec 27, 2017; Shreveport, LA, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Cam Akers (3) carries the ball during the first half against Southern Miss defensive back Walden Davis (5) during the first half in the 2017 Independence Bowl. Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Final record: 7-6
Final ranking: Not ranked
In the past decade, no team ranked no. 3 in the preseason coaches poll has had as down a year as Florida State did in 2017. Two weeks into the season, Florida State was dumped out of the top 25 rankings with back-to-back losses to start the season, and they simply could not get a footing the rest of the way.
2016: Oklahoma
Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws during the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Final record: 11-2, Big 12 champion
Final ranking: 3
Oklahoma lost two of its first three games to start the season, but ran the table the rest of the way for an 11-2 season that felt a little empty in Norman. The Sooners were upset in the first game of the year by Houston and then dominated at home by Ohio State. But they recovered for a top-three ranking at the end of the season.
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2015: Alabama
Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Cyrus Jones (5) returns a punt in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl against the Michigan State Spartans at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Final record: 14-1, SEC champion, national champion
Final ranking: 1
A season after losing to Ohio State in the inaugural College Football Playoff, Alabama was ready for a quick rebound in 2015. The Crimson Tide brought back another loaded roster and lost just once in the regular season on its way to a national title.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Why Penn State’s preseason US LBM Coaches Poll spot should excite you
