With Pitt and Penn State both in Top 25, who should be ranked higher?

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State entered the Top 25 on Sunday for the first time this season, coming in at No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the coaches poll

Pitt, meanwhile, dropped in both polls after losing to No. 24 Tennessee, 34-27, in overtime. The Panthers were No. 17 in both polls last week but fell to No. 23 in the AP poll and to No. 25 in the coaches poll.

Here's the entire coaches poll:

And here's the AP poll, with Georgia taking over the No. 1 spot after Alabama struggled in a 20-19 win at unranked Texas. Notre Dame is out of the Top 25 for the first time in a long time after falling to 0-2 with a loss to Marshall.

Penn State thrashed Ohio on Saturday, 46-10, after barely escaping with a 35-31 win at Purdue in the opener.

Pitt rallied to tie Tennessee in the closing minutes before falling in overtime. The Panthers slipped past West Virginia, 38-31, in the Backyard Brawl to open the season.

Should Penn State be ranked ahead of Pitt in the polls? You can vote below in my Twitter poll.

Let's examine both to see who deserves to be ranked higher:

The case for Penn State: The Nittany Lions haven't lost yet, and that's always a big factor in early season polls. The Lions have a nice road win at Purdue, and even though they could have very easily lost that game, the fact of the matter is they didn't. Penn State then destroyed a weak Ohio team on Saturday and looked good doing so, which does make a difference. If the Lions had struggled against the Bobcats, it would have hurt in the eye test department. But Nicholas Singleton's long TD runs and all-around outstanding play by the team gave voters plenty to like about Penn State, along with, of course, the 2-0 record.

The case for Pitt: The Panthers played a much better opponent in Tennessee and nearly won the game despite losing starting QB Kedon Slovis to injury. Should Pitt be heavily penalized in the polls because of an overtime loss to a team that was actually favored by nearly a touchdown? Probably not. But again, as mentioned above, early season polls are usually going to favor unbeaten teams over a team with a loss when there are close considerations. It doesn't help Pitt's resume that it had a close game against WVU, which then lost at home to lowly Kansas on Saturday.

Eddie Provident / DKPS

Israel Abankikanda breaks a tackle on his way to a 76-yard TD run during Pitt's loss to Tennessee.

GIGER'S TAKE

I still would have had Pitt maybe one spot ahead of Penn State if I were a Top 25 voter, which I am not and never will be, as I've explained numerous times in the past. I probably would have gone Pitt No. 22 and Penn State No. 23.

My reasoning is what I mentioned in the case for Pitt -- that it played a much better opponent and still nearly won the game. The Panthers had a whole lot of opportunities against the Vols but just couldn't cash in, and it cost them.

But, the way the polls work, undefeated teams are going to get the benefit of the doubt, which is why Penn State is higher this week.

COREY CRISAN'S TAKE

I figured Pitt would rest in the 22-25 range this week, after losing as a home underdog. With all the opportunities Pitt had to score against Tennessee, they still played down several players at points, including with Slovis missing the entire second half and Nick Patti playing the fourth quarter on a bad ankle. The Panthers' defense stepped up and limited Tennessee in the second half and looked like a top-flight unit once again, after succumbing to the uptempo style in the first half.

I believe Penn State should have been ahead of Pitt based on the unbeaten record, and including the road win at Purdue. But, no question, they both are Top 25 teams and were credited as such.