Penn State Big Ten Championship Game history: Appearances, wins, record, and more

After a long and storied history as a college football independent, Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference in 1993, going 10-2 (6-2) under Joe Paterno in Year 1. However, it didn’t take long for the Nittany Lions to win the conference, going 12-0 in 1994, winning the Rose Bowl over the Oregon Ducks, and finishing as the No. 2 team in the country. 

Now, 30 years later, Penn State is again matched up against the Ducks, this time looking to win its fifth Big Ten title in program history. With the Big Ten expanding to 18 teams to include Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, the league did away with divisions, allowing the two best teams in the conference to win play for the crown and a first-round bye in the 12-team College Football Playoff. This year, that’s Oregon and Penn State. 

Penn State total conference championship appearances

The Big Ten Championship Game came into existence in 2011, as Penn State began to be buried under NCAA sanctions. With the help of Bill O’Brien and eventually James Franklin, the Nittany Lions dug themselves out from under the sanctions and in 2016 reached the program’s first-ever Big Ten title game. 

Since 2016, Penn State has not gotten back to Indianapolis to play for the conference championship. With the East and West divisions, Penn State was often stuck behind Ohio State and Michigan as Franklin struggled to beat both powerhouse programs. This year, Franklin fell to the Buckeyes again, but Michigan knocked off Ohio State in Week 14, opening the door for Penn State’s second-ever Big Ten Championship Game appearance. 

Conference Championship wins and record: 

Penn State is 1-0 in its only Big Ten Championship Game appearance, beating the Wisconsin Badgers 38-31 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley was the MVP of the game with 384 yards passing and four touchdowns as he led the Nittany Lions back from a 28-7 deficit. Saquon Barkley ran for 83 yards and a touchdown, Saeed Blacknall caught six passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and Grant Haley and Marcus Allen stopped Wisconsin running back Corey Clement on 4th-and-1 to seal the win. 

Years of Penn State Big Ten Championships: 

While Penn State has only won one Big Ten Championship Game, the Nittany Lions have four conference titles since joining in 1993. 

• 1994: 12-0 (8-0) Joe Paterno
• 2005: 11-1 (7-1) Joe Paterno (Shared with Ohio State)
• 2008: 11-2 (7-1) Joe Paterno (Shared with Ohio State)
• 2016: 11-3 (8-1) James Franklin