Penn State Nittany Lions football Penn State Nittany Lions football is a college football program from Penn State . It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference . It is one of the most tradition - rich and storied college football programs in the United States . On November 22 , 2008 , Penn State became the sixth FBS program to win 800 games after defeating Michigan State . Traditions . The " S " . In the locker room of the Lasch Football building , there is a large " S " carpeted in white , contrasting against the blue locker room carpet . No one is permitted to step on it or set anything on it for any reason . Many guests of the locker room have accidentally walked over it , and are forced to do 10 push ups by any player , coach , or staff member that happens to see it . Players have had to pay a similar penalty for things like tossing trash , clothes , or equipment on it . Paternoville . Established during the 2005 football season . Created by students camping out in front of Beaver Stadium one week prior to the rival Ohio State football game October 8 , 2005 . What started as a few fans gather and camping with their tents is now a strong tradition bringing in thousands of students . Students camp in order to get first row seats in beaver stadium . Joe Paterno , players and the blue band will frequent Paternoville pumping up the students . It has helped bring enthusiasm back to Penn State Football making Happy Valley & Beaver Stadium one of the hardest stadiums for the road team to win . The Blue Buses . Before home games , players dress in their game uniform at the Lasch Football Building , and are bused over to Beaver Stadium in four plain , blue university buses . First and second team offensive players ride in the first bus , first and second team defensive players ride in the second bus , and the rest of the team follows in the third and fourth buses . Only two seats on any of the four buses are reserved : Joe Paterno rides in the front right of the offensive bus , and his starting quarterback rides in the front left . Quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno has said that if there is ever debate over who will be the starter for any game , look to who gets off the bus second . In this 2010 season Paterno has become the first FBS ( Division 1 - A ) football coach to reach 400 wins in a coaching career . Success with Honor . Joe Paterno is widely known for his " grand experiment " in which he challenged his players to be successful both on the field and in the classroom . It has since become a trademark of Penn State Football and Penn State Athletics as a whole . In 2010 , the Nittany Lion football team posted a 89 % graduation rate , the highest of any team ranked in the final AP Top 25 , dwarfing the second highest rate of 75 % , which was held by Alabama and Miami ( FL ) . Uniform . The team is widely noted ( along with teams like Notre Dame and Alabama ) for their simple game uniforms . They only wear white pants , and the jerseys are simple blue with white trim for home games , and white with blue trim for away games . The team is only allowed to wear simple black Nike shoes with white calf socks for game days , though blue tights are permitted underneath the white socks for cold weather games . The helmet is white with a blue stripe down the center , and a blue on white " Penn State " sticker covers up the forehead helmet logo . No team logos , conference logos , numbers , or other stickers are permitted on the helmet , though two Nike logos are on facemask visors that some players choose to wear . Penn State has started to wear bowl decals only starting with 1997 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl . Before that , Penn State always declined the decals so they can play out of their simple game uniforms . Captains . Captains are chosen by the team , with Joe Paterno ' s approval . Being named a captain is an honor almost always given to a senior , but there are some notable exceptions : Linebacker Sean Lee was named a captain in the beginning of Spring practice in 2008 , the beginning of his 4th year with the team . However , he suffered a torn ACL during spring practice , redshirted in 2008 , and returned as a captain again in 2009 . The most recent example of a " true " junior being named was Paul Posluszny , who was named a captain in both 2005 and 2006 , his junior and senior years , respectively . The last time a junior was named captain before Posluszny was in 1968 , when Steve Smear and Mike Reid were named captains during their junior years . Linebacker U . Penn State is often referred to as Linebacker U for its reputation of producing outstanding linebackers . Dennis Onkotz was a two time All American in 1968 and 1969 , and played on two undefeated teams . Possibly the greatest linebacker in Penn State history , Jack Ham finished his career with 251 tackles , blocked two punts , and went on to played on two undefeated teams . Hamm later went on to the NFL , playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers , and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Greg Buttle was a terrifying linebacker during the 1973 - 1975 seasons , finishing with an astonishing 305 tackles in his junior and senior year . He was drafted by the New York Jets and is apart of the All Jet team . Lavar Arrington was an extremely physical linebacker who was all over the place . Arrington finished with 19 career sacks and 39 tackles for losses . He was later drafted 2nd overall by the Washington Redskins . Paul Posluszny became the face of Penn State football from 2003 – 2006 , and is the definition of Linebacker U . Posluszny won the Dick Butkus Award in 2005 and the Chuck Bednarik Award in 2005 and 2006 . He finished with 372 tackles , and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills . Dan Connor finished his career as the all - time leading tackler for Penn State with 419 and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers while Cameron Wake went on to capture MVP honors for the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League before moving on to the Miami Dolphins and leading the National Football League in sacks during the 2010 season . Tamba Hali was the 20th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft and led the AFC in sacks during the 2010 NFL season helping the Kansas City Chiefs reach the playoffs . Notable seasons . Perfect seasons . Penn State has had seven undefeated , untied seasons in its history since the program started in 1887 : National championships . Penn State has won two consensus national championships , both under Joe Paterno ' s tenure as coach . Other national championships selections : 1911 • ( National Championship Foundation ) 1912 • ( National Championship Foundation ) 1969 • ( Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments , Massey Ratings ) 1981 • ( Dunkel System , Loren Maxwell , Soren Sorenson , The Fleming System ) 1994 • ( Billingsley Report , DeVold , Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments , Massey Ratings , Matthews Grid Ratings , National Championship Foundation , New York Times , Sagarin Ratings ) Conference championships . Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 1990 and beginning play in 1993 , Penn State has won three Big Ten championships : Season - by - season records . Note : The AP poll has existed since 1936 . The coaches poll , voted on by college head coaches , was published by United Press International from 1950 – 90 , CNN / USA Today from 1991 – 96 , ESPN / USA Today from 1997 – 2005 , and USA Today / Gallup from 2006 – present . Bowl history . Penn State has earned invitations to 42 bowl game s . The Nittany Lions have compiled a record of 27 - 13 - 2 ( 0 . 643 ) , the second highest winning percentage in Division I FBS , including a 14 - 6 - 1 ( 0 . 690 ) record in the major bowls ( Rose , Orange , Sugar , Fiesta , and Cotton ) . Current coach Joe Paterno is responsible for most of these bids and victories , compiling more wins ( 24 ) and appearances ( 36 ) than any other coach in college football history en route to his bowl record of 24 - 11 - 1 ( 0 . 686 ) . Paterno also has a record of 14 - 5 - 0 ( 0 . 737 ) in " major " bowls and is the only coach to have won all five major college bowls during his career . Rivalries . Current rivalries . Penn State competes for two rivalry trophies , both introduced when the Nittany Lions began Big Ten football in 1993 . Michigan State . Since 1993 , Penn State annually plays Michigan State for the Land Grant Trophy . Penn State has a 13 - 5 record in these trophy games and Michigan State currently holds possession of the trophy after winning the 2010 contest . Beginning with the league ' s expansion and new division format in 2011 , the two teams will play in opposite divisions and meet twice every five years . Minnesota . Since 1993 , Penn State has played Minnesota for the Governor ' s Victory Bell . Penn State is 8 - 4 against the Golden Gophers in this series and holds possession of the trophy after winning the 2010 contest . Due to the Big Ten ' s schedule rotation , Penn State and Minnesota did not meet in 2007 and 2008 . The series resumed in 2009 . Beginning with the league ' s expansion and new division format in 2011 , the two teams will play in opposite divisions and meet twice every five years . Ohio State . Ohio State and Penn State first played in 1912 , but until 1993 when Penn State joined the Big Ten conference , the meetings were infrequent . Including their last non - conference meeting in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl , the series was 6 - 2 in favor of Penn State before the Big Ten established the two teams as designated conference rivals playing annually starting in 1993 . Penn State trails the overall series by a slim 13 - 12 margin and is 6 - 11 in conference play . Penn State is 5 - 8 at Ohio Stadium ( the 1912 game was played at its predecessor , Ohio Field ) after a 13 - 6 win in 2008 , breaking a seven - game away losing streak at Ohio Stadium . Penn State is 5 - 5 against Ohio State in Beaver Stadium , including a memorable come - from - behind win in 2001 to give Joe Paterno his 324th win , passing Bear Bryant for the lead in career victories among major college coaches . At least two meetings have determined the conference champion . Of the 24 games they played , 9 have been determined by 7 points or less , 14 games by 14 points or less . Penn State has shut out Ohio State three times but all occurred prior to Penn State joining the Big Ten , while Ohio State has never held Penn State below six points . Due to the nature of the rivalry , a large number of games between the two teams are night games . Iowa Since 1999 , Penn State has won twice against the Iowa Hawkeyes and lost eight . currently Penn State is on a three year skid against the rival Hawkeyes . Temple . Penn State has been playing Temple frequently since 1931 . Temple has not beaten Penn State since 1941 , and Penn State holds a 36 - 3 - 1 record in the series , after defeating Temple 22 - 13 in Beaver Stadium in 2010 . The current series will continue every season except the 2013 season through at least 2016 . Dormant rivalries . Pittsburgh . The Pitt - Penn State rivalry is a currently dormant series between in - state rivals Penn State and Pittsburgh . Once considered the fiercest and most important college football rivalry north of the Mason - Dixon line , this rivalry was first played in 1893 when Penn State won 32 - 0 . The most recent game in the series was played in 2000 with Pitt winning 12 - 0 over Penn State at Three Rivers Stadium . Penn State holds a 50 - 42 - 4 record in the series . Of the 96 games played between the two , 72 have been held in Pittsburgh . Twenty - two have been played in State College . Two games , in 1900 and 1901 , were played in Bellefonte , Pennsylvania . West Virginia . First played in 1904 , Penn State and West Virginia played every year from 1947 to 1992 . The rivalry has been dormant since Penn State joined the Big Ten . Penn State leads the series 48 - 9 - 2 . Maryland . This lop - sided rivalry was first played in 1917 , and all but three years between 1960 and 1993 , but has remained inactive since . As recently as October 2008 , there have been inconclusive negotiations between the schools for a revival . Penn State has a commanding 35 - 1 - 1 lead in the series . Syracuse . With the exception of 1943 , Penn State and Syracuse played every year from 1922 through 1990 . However , the rivalry became dormant when Syracuse joined the Big East Conference and Penn State joined the Big Ten . The rivalry was briefly renewed when the teams agreed to a two - game home - and - home series for 2008 and 2009 . Penn State holds a 42 - 23 - 5 record in this series , after defeating Syracuse 28 - 7 at Beaver Stadium in 2009 . The rivalry will be renewed in a 3 game series at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford , NJ from 2013 – 2015 and there are plans to do a home and home series in 2020 and 2021 . Notre Dame . Penn State and Notre Dame first met in 1913 and played each other in 1925 , 1926 and 1928 . The two teams would not meet again until the 1976 Gator Bowl which Notre Dame won 20 - 9 . The series from 1981 through 1992 put the rivalry into focus on a national level . At the time , Penn State and Notre Dame were two of the few remaining Independent teams remaining in Division I FBS . It was also a very successful time for both programs , with Notre Dame winning a National Championship in 1988 and Penn State crowned National Champions in 1982 and 1986 . In the 12 - game series , Penn State held a 8 - 4 - 0 advantage including a 1990 win at Notre Dame Stadium where Penn State knocked off top - ranked Notre Dame with a last second field goal . The rivalry was briefly renewed with a home - and - home series in 2006 and 2007 . Penn State evened the series to 9 - 9 - 1 , after defeating Notre Dame 31 - 10 at Beaver Stadium , 2007 after being defeated in the previous year 41 - 17 at Notre Dame Stadium . Nebraska . The teams played a series of games before Penn State joined the Big Ten , most notably in the early 1980s . The high point of the rivalry was an epic battle in week three of 1982 season . Nebraska came to Happy Valley ranked # 2 ; Penn State was ranked # 8 at the time . After Nebraska had scored to take the lead with a minute remaining , Todd Blackledge led the Lions down the field , and was helped by a controversial call deep inside Husker territory . Penn State won the game with a touchdown as time expired , and went on to win the National Championship . The series was renewed briefly in 2002 - 03 after a 19 year gap . Beginning in the 2011 season , Penn State and Nebraska will play every year as cross - division rivals . College Football Hall of Fame inductees . Including current head coach Joe Paterno , 22 Nittany Lion players and coaches have been selected for the College Football Hall of Fame . Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees . Penn State is one of 11 schools with five or more inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Charity and awareness efforts . The Penn State football team has worked in coordination with Uplifting Athletes , a non - profit organization , to raise awareness and funds for the Kidney Cancer Association . In 2003 the team turned their annual weight - lifting competition into a fund - raiser when a player ’ s father was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer . The event that is now known as Lift for Life , has raised more than $ 225 , 000 since its inception .