Penn State has played 57 postseason games and won 34 of them, a winning percentage that puts the program among the top ten in bowl history. Most of that record belongs to one man. Joe Paterno took Penn State to 37 bowls and won 24, both figures more than any coach in the sport’s history.
Every Penn State Bowl Game
Listed by season. Gold rows are national championship seasons. Blue rows are unbeaten seasons that did not produce a title.
| Season | Bowl | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Rose Bowl | L 3 to 14 vs USC |
| 1947 | Cotton Bowl | T 13 to 13 vs SMU |
| 1959 | Liberty Bowl | W 7 to 0 vs Alabama |
| 1960 | Liberty Bowl | W 41 to 12 vs Oregon |
| 1961 | Gator Bowl | W 30 to 15 vs Georgia Tech |
| 1962 | Gator Bowl | L 7 to 17 vs Florida |
| 1966 | Gator Bowl | T 17 to 17 vs Florida State |
| 1968 | Orange Bowl | W 15 to 14 vs Kansas |
| 1969 | Orange Bowl | W 10 to 3 vs Missouri |
| 1971 | Cotton Bowl | W 30 to 6 vs Texas |
| 1972 | Sugar Bowl | L 0 to 14 vs Oklahoma |
| 1973 | Orange Bowl | W 16 to 9 vs LSU |
| 1974 | Cotton Bowl | W 41 to 20 vs Baylor |
| 1975 | Sugar Bowl | L 6 to 13 vs Alabama |
| 1976 | Gator Bowl | L 9 to 20 vs Notre Dame |
| 1977 | Fiesta Bowl | W 42 to 30 vs Arizona State |
| 1978 | Sugar Bowl | L 7 to 14 vs Alabama |
| 1979 | Liberty Bowl | W 9 to 6 vs Tulane |
| 1980 | Fiesta Bowl | W 31 to 19 vs Ohio State |
| 1981 | Fiesta Bowl | W 26 to 10 vs USC |
| 1982 | Sugar Bowl | W 27 to 23 vs Georgia |
| 1983 | Aloha Bowl | W 13 to 10 vs Washington |
| 1985 | Orange Bowl | L 10 to 25 vs Oklahoma |
| 1986 | Fiesta Bowl | W 14 to 10 vs Miami |
| 1987 | Citrus Bowl | L 10 to 35 vs Clemson |
| 1989 | Holiday Bowl | W 50 to 39 vs BYU |
| 1990 | Blockbuster Bowl | L 17 to 24 vs Florida State |
| 1991 | Fiesta Bowl | W 42 to 17 vs Tennessee |
| 1992 | Blockbuster Bowl | L 3 to 24 vs Stanford |
| 1993 | Citrus Bowl | W 31 to 13 vs Tennessee |
| 1994 | Rose Bowl | W 38 to 20 vs Oregon |
| 1995 | Outback Bowl | W 43 to 14 vs Auburn |
| 1996 | Fiesta Bowl | W 38 to 15 vs Texas |
| 1997 | Citrus Bowl | L 6 to 21 vs Florida |
| 1998 | Outback Bowl | W 26 to 14 vs Kentucky |
| 1999 | Alamo Bowl | W 24 to 0 vs Texas A&M |
| 2002 | Capital One Bowl | L 9 to 13 vs Auburn |
| 2005 | Orange Bowl | W 26 to 23 vs Florida State (3OT) |
| 2006 | Outback Bowl | W 20 to 10 vs Tennessee |
| 2007 | Alamo Bowl | W 24 to 17 vs Texas A&M |
| 2008 | Rose Bowl | L 24 to 38 vs USC |
| 2009 | Capital One Bowl | W 19 to 17 vs LSU |
| 2010 | Outback Bowl | L 24 to 37 vs Florida |
| 2011 | TicketCity Bowl | L 14 to 30 vs Houston |
| 2014 | Pinstripe Bowl | W 31 to 30 vs Boston College (OT) |
| 2015 | TaxSlayer Bowl | L 17 to 24 vs Georgia |
| 2016 | Rose Bowl | L 49 to 52 vs USC |
| 2017 | Fiesta Bowl | W 35 to 28 vs Washington |
| 2018 | Citrus Bowl | L 24 to 27 vs Kentucky |
| 2019 | Cotton Bowl | W 53 to 39 vs Memphis |
| 2021 | Outback Bowl | L 10 to 24 vs Arkansas |
| 2022 | Rose Bowl | W 35 to 21 vs Utah |
| 2023 | Peach Bowl | L 25 to 38 vs Ole Miss |
| 2024 | CFP first round | W 38 to 10 vs SMU |
| 2024 | Fiesta Bowl (CFP quarterfinal) | W 31 to 14 vs Boise State |
| 2024 | Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal) | L 24 to 27 vs Notre Dame |
| 2025 | Pinstripe Bowl | W 22 to 10 vs Clemson |
Paterno’s Records
Joe Paterno took Penn State to 37 bowl games and won 24 of them, both records that still stand. He was 24, 12 and 1 across 46 seasons, and one of only two coaches in history to have both played in and won all five major bowls. The other is Bob Stoops at Oklahoma.
Both of Penn State’s national championships came in bowl games under Paterno: the 1983 Sugar Bowl over Georgia and the 1987 Fiesta Bowl over Miami, a 14 to 10 win in which the Nittany Lions intercepted Vinny Testaverde five times.
The Unbeaten Years That Didn’t Count
Penn State went undefeated in 1968, 1969, 1973 and 1994 and won its bowl game each time. None of those seasons produced a national championship. The 1968 and 1969 teams finished behind Ohio State and Texas in the polls despite winning consecutive Orange Bowls, and the 1994 team was voted second behind Nebraska after beating Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
Four perfect seasons without a title is the recurring grievance of Penn State history, and the argument for a playoff long before one existed.
Unbeaten in the Fiesta Bowl
Penn State has played the Fiesta Bowl eight times and won all eight, from Arizona State in 1977 through Boise State in the 2024 playoff quarterfinal. No program has won more games at a single bowl without a loss.
The Rose Bowl has been less kind. Penn State is 2 and 3 there, with the 2016 loss to USC decided by a field goal as time expired in a game that produced 101 points.
The Alabama Problem
Three of Penn State’s bowl losses came against Alabama, and one of them mattered more than the rest. The 1979 Sugar Bowl decided the national championship, and Penn State lost 14 to 7 after being stopped at the goal line on fourth down in the fourth quarter. It remains the most painful result in program history.
The 2024 Playoff Run
Penn State’s first College Football Playoff appearance produced the first 13 win season in program history. The Nittany Lions beat SMU and Boise State before losing the Orange Bowl semifinal 27 to 24 to Notre Dame, who went on to the championship game.
Our Notre Dame bowl history page covers that game from the other side.
The 2025 Season
James Franklin was dismissed six games into the 2025 season. Interim coach Terry Smith finished the year at 7 and 6 and won the Pinstripe Bowl 22 to 10 over Clemson at a snowbound Yankee Stadium, with Ethan Grunkemeyer throwing for a career high 262 yards. Matt Campbell, formerly of Iowa State, takes over for 2026.
The Bottom Line
Penn State is 34 and 21 with 2 ties across 57 postseason games. Joe Paterno holds the records for bowl appearances and bowl wins by a head coach. The program is unbeaten in eight Fiesta Bowls, won both its national championships in bowl games, and went undefeated four times without a title to show for it. Our page on most bowl appearances shows where every program ranks.