1986 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

1986 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Consensus national champion
Fiesta Bowl champion
Eastern champion
Fiesta Bowl, W 14–10 vs. Miami (FL)
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record12–0
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorFran Ganter (3rd season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorJerry Sandusky (10th season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumBeaver Stadium
Seasons
← 1985
1987 →
1986 Major eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Penn State $ 6 – 0 – 0 12 – 0 – 0
No. 19 Boston College 3 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Syracuse 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Temple 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Pittsburgh 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 1
Rutgers 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 1
West Virginia 1 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1986 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Penn State   –   –   12 – 0 – 0
No. 2 Miami (FL)   –   –   11 – 1 – 0
No. 20 Virginia Tech   –   –   9 – 2 – 1
No. 19 Boston College   –   –   9 – 3 – 0
Tulsa   –   –   7 – 4 – 0
Florida State   –   –   7 – 4 – 1
Army   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Southwestern Louisiana   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Southern Miss   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Temple   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Pittsburgh   –   –   5 – 5 – 1
Rutgers   –   –   5 – 5 – 1
Cincinnati   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Notre Dame   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
Syracuse   –   –   5 – 6 – 0
South Carolina   –   –   3 – 6 – 2
Tulane   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
West Virginia   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Louisville   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Navy   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Wichita State   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
East Carolina   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Northern Illinois   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Memphis State   –   –   1 – 10 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1986 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University as an independent during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 21st-year head coach Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions compiled a record of 12–0. Penn State defeated the Miami Hurricanes, 14–10, in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl to win Paterno's second consensus national championship.[1] The team was named national champion by AP, Billingsley, FB News, FW, Matthews, NCF, NFF, Sporting News, UPI, and USA/CNN, while named co-champion by FACT, Sagarin (ELO-Chess).[2]

  1. ^ "Penn State Yearly Results (1985–1989)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Retrieved July 26, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. p. 114. Retrieved December 10, 2018.