ESPN's first College Football Power Index ratings of 2025 held the status quo for Penn State football, despite all the recent praise for the Nittany Lions' offs

If Penn State is able to maintain a top-six ranking through the end of the season, it would mark the fourth consecutive campaign with a top-six finish. Since the metric debuted in 2005, the Nittany Lions have made eight top-10 appearances, with a high of No. 4 in 2017.

Northwestern and Purdue mark the Big Ten's clear bottom tier entering 2025. The Wildcats even did well to win four games last year, given a near Football Bowl Subdivision-worst offense (No. 128 of 134) and below-average defense (No. 79 of 134). 2025 is a critical year for head coach David Braun to prove that 2023's 8-5 output was not an anomaly.