With 86 days until the 2025 Penn State football season, it’s time to turn the calendar back to 1986.
The iconic 1986 Nittany Lions brought home the program’s second consensus national championship and its second in four years. Joe Paterno’s squad went 12-0, winning the 1987 Fiesta Bowl over Miami and claiming a consensus No. 1 ranking by the AP, FB News, and Sporting News, among other outlets.
The signature win of the 1986 regular season came in Tuscaloosa against No. 2 Alabama. The Nittany Lions cruised to an easy 23-3 win, propelling them from No.