The Penn State Nittany Lions football team is always a powerful contender in the Big Ten Conference. They are especially popular, both for current and former students and people in the Pennsylvania area. The mascot, the Nittany Lion was created by a senior student in 1907. At the time, they didn't even have a mascot, yet were going to be playing against Princeton, whose mascot was a Bengal Tiger. Since Mount Nittany used to have wild mountain lions, the student chose Nittany Lions to be the unofficial team nickname. Soon after, following his written request to the school, the mascot was adopted.



Penn State has managed to maintain a very strong football team throughout the years, especially in the last decade, in which they have managed to snag two Big Ten Championships. Of course, their first was only 11 years before, in 1994. They are no strangers to Bowl games either, having been to 42 in total, and winning 27 of them, including their last one in 2010. Because of their ability to play with ferocity and emerge victorious in Bowl games, the Nittany Lions are always a favorite to watch, whether you support them or not.

The team has several rivalries, including Universities like Michigan State, Ohio State, Temple, and Minnesota. There are older rivalries that have quieted down currently but in the past were considered to be bitter feuds. Those included schools like Notre Dame, Syracuse, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Maryland. Anyway you look at it, the Nittany Lions bring a fantastic amount of talent and heart to the table.

Currently, Penn State is proud to announce that they have made yet another top 15 placing in the Learield Sports Directors' Cup. They are in 11th placed and were barely edged out by Duke, but are far enough of any other team to be in danger of dropping positions. When you add that in with the fact that Penn State has managed to win 19 NCAA Championships since 1994, as well as 24 Big Ten Titles, it's easy to realize why the Nittany Lions have such a strong and loyal following.