Penn State Football: Ranking the top 20 wins in program history

15. 2005 (16) Penn State football 27, (6) Ohio State 10

The Penn State football program went into their game against No. 6 Ohio State with a 5-0 record, thanks to a dominant defense, and some real playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Beating the Ohio State Buckeyes would be no easy task, as they had some talented stars at wide receiver in future NFL players like Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr.

However, Penn State’s defense was certainly up to the task in this one, as they held the Buckeyes to ten points, and zero points scored after a field goal in the third quarter. Led by Paul Posluszny, who had 14 tackles in the game, the Nittany Lions kept the Buckeyes offense at bay and would return to the top of the Big Ten, something that seemed unimaginable years earlier.

This was Paterno’s first real title contender since the 1999 season, as they had playmakers on both sides of the ball. The Ohio State victory helped the team move to a 6-0 record, and after a loss to Michigan the following week, they would not lose again.

This team beat Florida State in the Orange Bowl in triple overtime, finished with an 11-1 record, and the No. 3 ranking in the country.