The Penn State Nittany Lions played as an independent team in all seasons from 1892 to 1992 .
The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference , which they joined in 1993 after playing as an Independent from 1892 to 1992.Established in 1887 , the Nittany Lions have achieved numerous on-field successes , the most notable of which include two consensus national championships ( 1982 and 1986 ) , four Big Ten Conference Championships ( in 1994 , 2005 , 2008 , and 2016 ) , and 48 appearances in college bowl games , with a postseason bowl record of 29–17–2 .
Penn State Nittany Lions football