Two years after sanctions threatened to cripple the program, Penn State has an eye on a spot in the polls.

The Nittany Lions as one of the top 25 teams in the country?

Just the thought of a ranked Penn State team seemed improbable in 2012 when the NCAA levied the type of punishments against the program that should have been a virtual death sentence. Among the big hits in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal were scholarship reductions and bowl game banishments.

But no one told the Nittany Lions they weren’t allowed to win games.

Coming off a win against Central Florida, Penn State received enough votes in the AP Top 25 to finish in a three-way tie for 29th. With bowl game scenarios and Big Ten championship game bids nothing but a distant dream at this point, a national ranking might have to satisfy the diehards in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions last finished a season ranked in 2009 under the late Joe Paterno and haven’t been ranked overall since they were No. 24 in the Dec. 24, 2011 poll.

The Nittany Lions did receive votes in 2012 under former coach Bill O’Brien.