Penn State has won the Big Ten four times, in 1994, 2005, 2008 and 2016, which is a modest total for a program of its size and the direct result of having played 106 seasons without a conference. The Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten in 1993, went unbeaten in their second year, and have won it three times in the 30 seasons since.
Every Title
| Season | Coach | Record | How it was won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Joe Paterno | 12, 0 | Outright, 8 and 0 in conference, Rose Bowl win |
| 2005 | Joe Paterno | 11, 1 | Shared with Ohio State, Orange Bowl win |
| 2008 | Joe Paterno | 11, 2 | Shared with Ohio State, Rose Bowl |
| 2016 | James Franklin | 11, 3 | Championship game, 38 to 31 over Wisconsin |
Penn State also won the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association in 1891, which it lists alongside the Big Ten titles. Gold rows are outright championships.
1994: Unbeaten in Year Two
Penn State’s second Big Ten season produced a 12 and 0 record, an 8 and 0 conference mark, and a Rose Bowl win over Oregon, with an offence that averaged 47 points and put four players on All-America first teams. It remains the only unbeaten season by any Big Ten team between Michigan’s 1997 shared title and Ohio State’s 2002 championship. The team finished second in the polls to Nebraska. Our national championships page covers that argument.
2016: The Title Game
Penn State started 2 and 2, lost 49 to 10 at Michigan, then won nine straight, including the White Out upset of No. 2 Ohio State on a blocked field goal return. The Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin was a 38 to 31 comeback from 28 to 7 down, on Trace McSorley’s passing and Saquon Barkley’s running. It is the program’s only title in the championship game era and it sent Penn State to the Rose Bowl.
The 2005 and 2008 titles were both shared with Ohio State under the old round robin system, and in both years Penn State held the tiebreaker for the Rose Bowl. The 2005 team lost only at Michigan on a last second touchdown and beat Florida State in triple overtime in the Orange Bowl. The 2008 team lost once in the regular season, at Iowa, and went to the Rose Bowl, where it lost to USC.
The Independent Century
Penn State played as an independent from 1887 to 1992, longer than any current Big Ten member spent outside a conference, and won two national championships and five unbeaten seasons without ever competing for a league title. The move to the Big Ten in 1993 was the first time the program had a conference championship to play for since the PIFA’s single season in 1891. Our page on why Notre Dame is independent covers the one major program that never made the same move.
The Decade Since
Penn State has not won the Big Ten since 2016 and has played in one championship game since, losing 45 to 37 to Oregon in 2024 before reaching the playoff semifinals. James Franklin’s record against Ohio State and Michigan is the reason: the program won just twice against the two of them across his tenure, the 2016 Ohio State game and the 2017 Michigan game. Our Penn State vs Ohio State page covers the nine straight losses.
The Bottom Line
Penn State has won four Big Ten championships, 1994, 2005, 2008 and 2016, and played 106 seasons without a conference before that. The 1994 title came with a perfect season, the 2016 title came in a championship game comeback, and the ten years since are the longest gap the program has had as a Big Ten member. Our page on most conference championships shows where Penn State ranks.