The final Associated Press poll was released yesterday, and Penn State just missed the Top 25. With 90 votes, Penn State came in 27th, and fell one spot from the previous AP poll, which marked its highest position this season.

In order to advance, Penn State would have needed most of the teams in the bottom half of the AP Poll to lose their bowl games. However, a number of teams didn’t hold up their end of the stick. Shockingly, #22 Louisville beat #4 Florida, which was a potential game that could have helped Penn State break into the Top 25.

Despite losing their bowl games, fellow Big Ten teams Nebraska and Michigan came in 24th and 25th, with 147 votes and 119 votes respectively. Just ahead of Penn State, Baylor received 95 votes, good enough for 26th.

While many people likely did not expect Penn State to garner significant AP votes this season, especially after the first two games, the team managed to come very close to cracking the Top 25. With a Top 25 recruiting class and the success from this past season, Penn State has a chance to end up in the Top 25 in preseason rankings next August.