Penn State has made incremental gains in the college football rankings through three weeks, inching upward in both major polls. Now, the unbeaten Nittany Lions turn toward the Big Ten season, where they will test a roster that doesn't have much experience in the conference.

Following a 55-13 win over Buffalo on Saturday, the Nittany Lions moved up one spot in each of the major polls. Penn State is No. 13 in the AP Top 25 and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll. Both rankings are Penn State's highest of the season.

Elsewhere, Penn State climbed a surprising four spots to No. 12 in the ESPN SP+ ratings, which is a predictive model. All three of Penn State's positional units rank in SP+ top 15: the offense and defense are both 14th and the special teams are 10th. Only one other top-20 team (No. 2 Georgia) has all three units ranked in the top 15.

Penn State (3-0) has outscored its first three opponents by a combined 127-22, though its strength of schedule ranks 125th among 138 college football teams, according to ESPN. Penn State's remaining strength of schedule ranks 57th.

Looking ahead to Penn State's Big Ten schedule

The Nittany Lions begin conference play Sept. 26 against Wisconsin (2-1) at Beaver Stadium. The Badgers rank 56th in the ESPN SP+ after wins over Eastern Michigan and Western Illinois and a 41-13 season-opening loss to Illinois.

For Penn State, the preseason narrative regarding a "jackpot" Big Ten schedule has strengthened through the non-conference schedule. Penn State currently ranks ahead of eight of the nine Big Ten teams on its schedule, according to SP+. Only No. 8 USC, which visits Penn State for the White Out in October, ranks ahead of the Nittany Lions.

Notably, Rutgers ranks 128th in the country, according to ESPN SP+, but scored 35 points in a 42-35 loss to USC at home. And those weren't late scores. Rutgers scored with 4:17 left to make it a one-possesion game, forcing USC to run out the clock to preserve the win. USC had to convert a 3rd-and-3 and recover its own fumble to keep Rutgers' offense off the field.

Penn State's Big Ten Schedule

What we know about the Nittany Lions

Penn State coach Matt Campbell said after his team's win over Buffalo that the Nittany Lions still have plenty to work on before opening Big Ten Conference action.

"Not where we need to be, but I think [we're] a team that has certainly grown in different entities each week," Campbell said. "Still a team that, in my opinion, has got so much ability, and some things were focal points for us today, and then we grew in some areas.

"This is college football, and I think our ability to grow from week three to week four will be really important. But [we're] a team that I appreciated their urgency and the way we played, and the sense of physicality, our details."

Penn State ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring defense (allowing 7.3 points per game) and has given up just two fourth-quarter touchdowns in three games. The Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten and rank second nationally in passing yards yards allowe per game (90).

Penn State receiver Koby Howard leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally in average yards per catch (28.67), and quarterback Rocco Becht has a 70-percent completion rate with nine touchdowns and no interceptions.

Becht said that Penn State, even with 40 transfers, will be ready for Big Ten play.

"All the seniors on this team have played a lot of football and seen a lot of football, the good and the bad," Becht said. "So I think our experience is going to take over when we get into conference play, especially in the mental aspect of the game. So I'm excited for next week and the rest of the season."

Penn State hosts Wisconsin on Sept. 26 for a 5 p.m. ET start at Beaver Stadium. The game will stream exclusively on Peacock.

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