2016 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

2016 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Big Ten champion
Big Ten East Division co-champion
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy
Rose Bowl, L 49–52 vs. USC
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionEast Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 7
Record11–3 (8–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJoe Moorhead (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorBrent Pry (1st as DC; 3rd overall season)
Co-defensive coordinatorTim Banks (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Captains
  • Brandon Bell (Senior year)
  • Brian Gaia (Senior year)
  • Von Walker (Senior year)
Home stadiumBeaver Stadium
Seasons
← 2015
2017 →
2016 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 7 Penn State xy$   8 1     11 3  
No. 6 Ohio State x^   8 1     11 2  
No. 10 Michigan   7 2     10 3  
Indiana   4 5     6 7  
Maryland   3 6     6 7  
Michigan State   1 8     3 9  
Rutgers   0 9     2 10  
West Division
No. 9 Wisconsin xy   7 2     11 3  
Iowa   6 3     8 5  
Nebraska   6 3     9 4  
Minnesota   5 4     9 4  
Northwestern   5 4     7 6  
Illinois   2 7     3 9  
Purdue   1 8     3 9  
Championship: Penn State 38, Wisconsin 31
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by third-year head coach James Franklin and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. They were a member of the Big Ten East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They lost to Pitt and Michigan in early September but then had a winning streak that included signature victories over Ohio State and Wisconsin en route to a Big Ten championship. Despite their Big Ten title, the Nittany Lions just missed a playoff berth. They represented the Big Ten in the 2017 Rose Bowl, losing to USC on a game winning field goal.