A roller coaster season is in the books for Penn State, and with an impressive 8-4 record, the Nittany Lions have garnered a substantial amount of national attention. In this week’s AP poll, Penn State received 61 points, good for 29th in the country.

Kirk Bohls from the Austin American Statesman put Penn State all the way up at No. 17 on his ballot, the highest of anyone in the nation. In all, 15 writers had Penn State in their top 25, good for 5th in the Big Ten.

Although unlikely, it’s worth noting that Penn State still has a chance to crack the top 25. It doesn’t control its own destiny, but if some teams ranked in the 18-28 range lose their bowl games, Penn State could conceivably pass those teams in the final AP rankings.

To finish 8-4 and within a sniff of the top 25 after starting 0-2 is a testament to the resolve of this remarkable team. It doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but to see Penn State getting attention in national polls after the last year is an incredible accomplishment.