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The Penn State Nittany Lions will open up the 2018 season as the 10th ranked team in the country.
BREAKING: No. 1 @AlabamaFTBL tops preseason AP Top 25 for third consecutive year, a feat done only once before; @ClemsonFB is No. 2, followed by @FootballUGA, @BadgerFootball and @OhioStateFB. See the full poll: https://t.co/jfkE4ZQ5Ce pic.twitter.com/JDiE6VLaxK
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) August 20, 2018
The top-10 ranking is the first time the Nittany Lions have been ranked as a top-10 team in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1994 and 1995 seasons. Last season, the Lions started the season as the nation’s sixth best team following their surprise run in the 2016 season to a Big Ten Championship and the Rose Bowl.
The Lions are one of three Big Ten teams to start the season in the AP’s Top 10 joining Wisconsin and Ohio State who start the season at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. The Big Ten is tied with the SEC for the most conference members in the top 10. Other Big Ten teams that are in the AP’s initial rankings for 2018 include Michigan State and Michigan who enter the season No. 11 and No. 14 in the country.