By the time Navorro Bowman saw Friday's USA Today Coaches' Poll, a day had already passed.
The Nittany Lions were ranked No.8, but Bowman and his teammates weren't paying much attention.
Despite being ranked so high to start the season -- in the exact spot they finished last season -- the players aren't feeling any added pressure.
The last time the Penn State football team cracked the top 10 in the preseason polls was 10 years ago, in 1999.
"That's what preseason rankings are about, we knew we weren't going to be No. 1 or anything," quarterback Daryll Clark said at Saturday's Easter Seals carnival. "We try our best not to pay attention to it. We plan on being No.1 at the end of the season. That's why preseason is preseason."
Defending national champion Florida is ranked No.1, followed by Texas, Oklahoma, Southern California and Alabama in the top five. Penn State's Big Ten rival Ohio State is sixth, and Iowa is 21st, joining the Nittany Lions as the Big Ten's representatives in the rankings.
Michigan State finished as the second team left out of the poll, placing 27th, while fellow Big Ten teams Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Michigan also received votes.
The Lions reported for their preseason camp Sunday, with practice set to start today. While Clark said it was time for the team to focus on getting ready, senior cornerback Knowledge Timmons added the preseason rankings are about building hype and nothing will be decided until the games start.
"We all just have to strap on the spikes and go out there and play," Timmons said. "You could be No. 1 or you could be 130th and you're still going to have to go out and play the game, regardless of your ranking you still have to win."
The only thing the players have been paying attention to is the work they are doing to get ready for the season.
The Lions were bounced from the Rose Bowl last season and hope to get there again. The national title game will be in Pasadena, Calif.
Clark likes the progress he has seen from his teammates through their summer workouts so far.
"We've been training. Its been a real productive summer for everybody," Clark said. "Now its time to gear it up and start really practicing with the coaches involved."
For the rest of the month, the team will be putting all of its attention toward camp and preparing for the season opener Sept. 5 against Akron.
The players know the rankings will change as the season wears on.
"Preseason rankings, they're going to change, that's how I look at everything that comes up before the season," Bowman said. "We're going to look to be moving up from where we are now. We're Penn State, we're used to winning and we're glad to be where we're at right now."
