Penn State Football List of Championships & Best Finishes Through the Years

The Nittany Lions are making their College Football Playoff debut this year.

Penn State players celebrate winning the Fiesta Bowl. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Penn State made the College Football Playoff this year for the first time since the format began in 2014. The Nittany Lions will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night, and the winner will go to the national championship game set for Jan. 20.

The No. 6-seed Penn State is coming off two relatively easy wins so far in the 12-team CFP, first a 38–10 victory over SMU followed by a 31–14 win over Boise State.

Penn State will be looking to make a mark in its first CFP appearance this week. But, how did the team fare before the NCAA adopted the CFP? Here's a look at Penn State football's championship history.

Penn State Football Championship History

The Nittany Lions played their first football season all the way back in 1881. Since then, Penn State claimed two national titles, both coming in the 1980s, so before the College Football Playoff was established.

Penn State's first national title came during the 1982 season after they defeated Georgia 27–23 in the Sugar Bowl. The team, led by coach Joe Paterno, went 11–1 that season.

The program's second national title happened just a few years later during the 1986 season, led once again by Paterno. Penn State finished with a 12–0 record that year, and beat Miami 14–10 in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the title.

Penn State's College Football Playoff Appearances

The 2024 season marks the first time Penn State appeared in the College Football Playoff.

As mentioned above, the Nittany Lions dominated over both SMU and Boise State in order to book a trip to Thursday's Orange Bowl vs. Notre Dame.

Penn State's 2024 Season

Penn State finished the 2024 regular season with an 11–2 record to earn it the No. 4 seed in the CFP.

The Nittany Lions fell to two fellow CFP teams this season. Penn State lost 20–13 to Ohio State, who will play Texas on Friday in the Cotton Bowl, back on Nov. 2. The only touchdown scored by the Nittany Lions came from an interception touchdown caught by Zion Tracy. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar also threw an interception in the game.

Penn State ended the 2024 regular season with a 45–37 loss to Oregon, which was eliminated in the CFP by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Allar threw three touchdown passes but also two interceptions in the game.

Star Players

Quarterback Drew Allar had a relatively better showing in his second year starting for Penn State. He completed 67.4% of his passes for 3,192 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also carried the ball 90 times for 285 yards and six touchdowns of his own.

Penn State had a dominating running back duo this year in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton as they both totaled over 1,000 yards—1,026 and 1,015, respectfully. Allen carried the ball 201 times and scored eight touchdowns, while Singleton had 157 carries and nine touchdowns. Singleton also caught 39 passes for 342 yards and five more touchdowns.

The Nittany Lions' leading receiver was tight end Tyler Warren, who finished this season with 98 receptions for 1,158 yards and eight touchdowns.

Additionally, Abdul Carter was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year after tallying 22 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in 15 games.

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