Michigan State football jumps back into AP Top 25 after Penn State upset

Michigan State football has jumped back into the AP Top 25 after beating No. 8 Penn State in Happy Valley on Saturday afternoon.

Though these mid-season polls don’t mean much, Michigan State is making moves just one week after being dropped from the AP Top 25 following a loss to Northwestern.

Must Read: MSU football: 5 takeaways from Penn State upset

In fact, the Spartans didn’t receive any AP votes after losing to Northwestern in East Lansing, and deservedly so, but they made quite the impression on Saturday with a big win over No. 8 Penn State in Happy Valley. They are now ranked No. 24 in the new poll, moving into the poll thanks to losses by Miami, Colorado and Auburn.

Winning on the road against Penn State isn’t an easy task, but the Spartans went on the road and beat Penn State on the road for the third time in four opportunities.

In typical Mark Dantonio fashion, the Spartans were able to defy all odds and win a game they weren’t expected to be in. Michigan State was a two-touchdown underdog against the Nittany Lions and very few experts were predicting an upset, but even an ailing MSU team was able to shock the country with a win.

It wasn’t the offense that got back on track against Penn State, but rather the defense that stepped up. Outside of two big runs by Miles Sanders that combined for 126 yards, the Nittany Lions had trouble moving the ball all day long.

With the loss, Penn State drops to No. 18 and Iowa joins Michigan State as the other Big Ten team to jump into the poll from the field of unranked teams.

Michigan State will get a chance to move up yet again next week with a win over Michigan who has jumped from No. 12 to No. 6 after dominating Wisconsin.

Hate week is officially upon us.