Does Penn State football fit the college football blue-blood criteria?

The sport of college football is changing — rapidly — though one thing seems to remain the same: Penn State football is one of the top programs in the sport. That said, when evaluating the Nittany Lions‘ position among the top programs of all time, one point remains heavily debated — is Penn State a blue-blood program?

For the better part of the past 75 years, the Nittany Lions have been either good or great on an annual basis — rarely has Penn State been anything less than impressive. Still, there is some debate over whether or not Penn State deserves blue-blood status, so let’s look at the criteria.

What makes blue blood?

When evaluating college football blue-bloods, there are no real set criteria — all programs seemingly hit different marks that make their history impressive. For example, Nebraska has not been anything worth noting for about 20 years now, but their history — the national titles, Heisman winners, etc. — makes up for this dip in success.

Still, there are a few key criteria that one must evaluate when looking at the best programs in our wonderful sport: all-time wins, Heisman winners, national titles, conference titles, bowl record, and AP poll history (how many weeks ranked, how many top 10 finishes, etc.). Iconic coaches, passionate fans, historic stadiums, traditions, and other criteria should also be considered.

So, who are the blue-blood programs?

In college football, there are essentially eight programs that are universally agreed upon in the blue-blood debate: Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, USC, and Notre Dame. While nothing is unanimous in college football, these programs are generally considered the best of all time.

But just below these eight is another tier of school, such as Penn State football, LSU, Florida, Tennessee, and others, who also have some right to call themselves blue bloods.

The case for Penn State football to be a blue-blood

In Penn State’s case, the Nittany Lions have some impressive numbers that put them in the blue-blood conversation. First, the Nittany Lions are in the top 10 in all-time wins (No. 7), with 930 victories heading into the 2024 season. Penn State also claims two national titles (1982 and 1986), though the Lions have plenty of other unclaimed titles along with five undefeated seasons (only one of which resulted in a national title).

Penn State’s winning percentage of .689 is the ninth-best among all FBS programs, as is the Nittany Lions’ 53 bowl games and 695 weeks in the AP poll. Penn State football also ranked 11th in Consensus All-Americans, seventh in NFL Draft picks, and 11th in bowl game winning percentage.

When it comes to conference titles, Penn State is lacking compared to other programs, though this makes sense given that PSU was not in a conference until the early 1990s. Still, the Blue and White lay claim to four Big Ten Championships (1994, 2005, 2008, and 2016) and have the potential to compete for more Big Ten titles over the next few years. The Nittany Lions are also a bit behind in Heisman winners, though they still have one Heisman (1973) in the trophy case.

Other factors that benefit Penn State

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

As I said above, other factors that should be taken into account — aside from the traditional numbers like wins and titles — include history and tradition. When it comes to Penn State football, few teams have the history that the Nittany Lions do.

Uniforms: While Penn State has some of the most basic uniforms in the sport — featuring a blue jersey with white pants, black shoes, and a simple white helmet with a single blue stripe down the middle — they are iconic. Simple as they may be, the Nittany Lions’ uniforms are some of the most recognizable in all of sports.

Stadium: Beaver Stadium, located right on Penn State’s campus, is perhaps the most iconic college football stadium of all time. Not only is it the annual location for Penn State’s renowned white-out game, but it is also the second-largest stadium in the nation, seating well over 110,000 Penn State fans on many Saturdays throughout the fall.

Legendary coaches: Every great blue-blood program has had a legendary coach that built the foundation on which the entire program, and oftentimes the school itself, stands. For Penn State University, that coach was Joe Paterno — the winningest head coach in college football history — who coached from 1966 through 2011. Paterno’s reputation is heavily debated due to Penn State’s abuse scandal, which ultimately led to the University firing Paterno nine games into the 2011 season, though the NCAA has since reinstated his wins and championships following an FBI investigation.

Still, despite the headlines and scandal, Paterno remains synonymous with the school and its iconic football program and is revered as one of the greatest football minds of all time.

Consistent success: While the Joe Paterno era ushered in Penn State’s dominance on the gridiron, his exit did not mark the end of the Nittany Lions’ greatness. Of course, the NCAA levied heavy sanctions against Penn State in 2012, which bruised but did not cripple Penn State for four seasons. Since 2016, however, the Nittany Lions have seemingly regained their position as a top-ranked program, finishing top 10 often and winning three New Year’s Six bowls since 2016.

In the full-length seasons since 2016, Penn State football has gone: 11-3 (Big Ten title), 11-2 (Fiesta Bowl win), 9-4, 11-2 (Cotton Bowl win), 7-6, 11-2 (Rose Bowl win), and 10-3. Not bad, given what the Lions were facing just two years into the 2010s and all the hurdles that James Franklin has faced since taking over.

It’s also worth noting that with the CFP expanding from four to 12 teams, James Franklin has a very good shot at getting Penn State football into the national title race more often than not.

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