Penn State defies odds in latest expert Top 25 poll on the heels of losing second-straight game

The times aren't great in Happy Valley right now. Coming off two straight losses, we've seen James Franklin spread some blame, Drew Allar question the team's direction, and Urban Meyer back Franklin, and the polls have had enough. The AP Poll dropped Penn State out of its top 25.

However, our experts have not given up yet. While that doesn't mean the A to Z Top 25 poll has the Nittany Lions anywhere near the College Football Playoff race, there is a sliver of hope. We expect to see Penn State get back on the horse this week as Northwestern comes to town this Saturday.

Here's what we wrote and where our team collectively ranked Penn State entering Week 7.

Penn State stays in expert Top 25 polls

Penn State just barely survived their shocking loss to UCLA in our poll votes, earning 34 points to stick 23rd. Texas also made it in, landing one spot higher, despite suffering its own second loss. The point our team made was that Penn State has a higher upside than others.

"Penn State has now lost two straight games after being the No. 2 team to start the season. The Nittany Lions entered the season with a stacked roster and they sure didn’t look as if they had one in the embarrassing loss to UCLA. Drew Allar hasn’t progressed for Penn State as they’d like and James Franklin still can’t win big games.

However, I still believe the Nittany Lions are a top-20 team and will only lose one more game in the regular season–and that’s on Nov. 1 against Ohio State. The showing in UCLA was inexcusable but there’s no chance that’s who Penn State really is anywhere near their best." – Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State.

I followed suit, saying in part:

"I’m just slightly lower on the Memphis Tigers than the AP, and it’s largely because I gave the benefit of the doubt to Texas and Penn State. While Memphis has better advanced stats and raw record, there’s an objective difference in the depth and ceiling of these teams."

We'll see if upcoming showdowns with Indiana and Ohio State prove to be turning points for Allar and the Nittany Lions or if we'll see more of the same from this disappointing start to the year.