CFB Most Influential Programs
#22 Penn State
School: Penn State Nittany Lions
First Game: November 12th, 1881
Winning Percentage: .689 (9th)
Appearances in AP/Rank: 694 (9th)
Average AP Ranking: 10.1
National Titles: 2
Claim to Fame: Coach Joe Paterno and Beaver Stadium are synonymous with the sport of college football.
Why I have them in my Collection: From 1939-1987 Penn State never had a losing season. That is absolutely insane. They were not the most influential team in the state for a while though. This is a fairly recent phenomenon. Both Pitt and Penn found football success and National Championships long before Penn State won their first in the 1980s.
But those Penn State teams of the 1980s were incredibly good. They often clashed with the titans of the time the University of Miami and Nebraska for National Championships. Even in the 90s and up until 2009, the Nittany Lions were never a team you could completely count out for national title contention.
It was during this time, 1993 that Penn State joined the Big Ten, a decision coming after the school was rejected from the Big East in the 80s. While their path to a national title has been stifled, I would say that Penn State faithful are on the whole happy with where they ended up landing.
Speaking of Penn State faithful, they have one of the loudest and most hardcore fan bases. Beaver Stadium’s “White Out” game is a must see if you’re just a generic college football fan. It also looks phenomenal on the big screen. When Penn State is rocking, they’re almost impossible to beat there, unless your name is Michigan or Ohio State recently.
With the 12-team playoff now on for 2024 and beyond, Penn State looks like they’ll be in national title discussions once more. Also, they won’t be playing Michigan and Ohio State annually, which I am sure they are very happy about.
*I would be remiss if we didn’t at least mention the Jerry Sandusky scandal that shook the program and country. I did not focus on this and while they would be in the collection regardless, it is at least worth mentioning. *
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