Excluding the '68, '69, '73, '82, '86 and '94 teams, which Penn State team was the best?

[john4psu]

Excluding the '68, '69, '73, '82, '86 and '94 teams, which Penn State team was the best? The reason I pose the question is that I don't foresee Penn State going undefeated this year, and in all likelihood with one loss if not two, and even with two losses this year this could still be a VERY good team. So which non-national championship, non-undefeated Penn State team was the best?

The '78 team was perhaps a denied goal-line stand from a national championship. The '85 team was a year ahead of schedule with a very good defense. The '81 team had two losses but was playing outstanding football at the end of the season. The '71 team only had one loss and averaged 40 ppg on offense. The 2017 team was a few plays away from being undefeated.

 

[voltz99]

Which was the 7th best?????

 

[IANit]

Excluding the '68, '69, '73, '82, '86 and '94 teams, which Penn State team was the best? The reason I pose the question is that I don't foresee Penn State going undefeated this year, and in all likelihood with one loss if not two, and even with two losses this year this could still be a VERY good team. So which non-national championship, non-undefeated Penn State team was the best?

The '78 team was perhaps a denied goal-line stand from a national championship. The '85 team was a year ahead of schedule with a very good defense. The '81 team had two losses but was playing outstanding football at the end of the season. The '71 team only had one loss and averaged 40 ppg on offense. The 2017 team was a few plays away from being undefeated.

If the teams were able to play in a tournament somehow I'd take 1981 despite 2 losses based on the way they finished the year. Probably a little more talented than 1982 overall.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Well, obviously you have the early back to back national champions in 1911 and 1912 to talk about. Beyond that, 2005 and 2008 were easily the best teams I have seen us field in the Big Ten era. After that, a bunch of good but flawed teams with 2009 head and shoulders above the rest. 93, 96, 17, 19.There are also a large number of really good one loss teams teams prior to the Big Ten era.

 

[LMTLION]

2023

 

[PSUWrestlingFanSince2011]

The '99 team was the best team besides those that I've seen.

 

[PSUWrestlingFanSince2011]

Which was the 6th best?????

7th

 

[bcspsu]

Excluding the '68, '69, '73, '82, '86 and '94 teams, which Penn State team was the best? The reason I pose the question is that I don't foresee Penn State going undefeated this year, and in all likelihood with one loss if not two, and even with two losses this year this could still be a VERY good team. So which non-national championship, non-undefeated Penn State team was the best?

The '78 team was perhaps a denied goal-line stand from a national championship. The '85 team was a year ahead of schedule with a very good defense. The '81 team had two losses but was playing outstanding football at the end of the season. The '71 team only had one loss and averaged 40 ppg on offense. The 2017 team was a few plays away from being undefeated.

1981. At the end of that season, PSU definitely was the best team in the country. Also, that team gave me my greatest experience ever attending a PSU game when as a 14 year old I went to the Pitt game at Pitt Stadium.

 

[PSUPride1]

Excluding the '68, '69, '73, '82, '86 and '94 teams, which Penn State team was the best? The reason I pose the question is that I don't foresee Penn State going undefeated this year, and in all likelihood with one loss if not two, and even with two losses this year this could still be a VERY good team. So which non-national championship, non-undefeated Penn State team was the best?

The '78 team was perhaps a denied goal-line stand from a national championship. The '85 team was a year ahead of schedule with a very good defense. The '81 team had two losses but was playing outstanding football at the end of the season. The '71 team only had one loss and averaged 40 ppg on offense. The 2017 team was a few plays away from being undefeated.

I don't know if it was the best but the 85 team, at least the defense, deserved to be national champions. The defense played a fantastic game and outplayed Oklahoma's defense which was ranked number one in the nation. The offense moved the ball enough but the team just couldn't overcome Schaeffer. I've never seen one guy kill a team more than John did that day.

 

[PaJules]

1981. At the end of that season, PSU definitely was the best team in the country. Also, that team gave me my greatest experience ever attending a PSU game when as a 14 year old I went to the Pitt game at Pitt Stadium.

Yep! If not for injuries that year, that team had National Championship written in stone. Probably the best overall offensive line in PSU history. Munchak, Farrell, Ramano….Oh My!

 

[fbh1]

I don't know if it was the best but the 85 team, at least the defense, deserved to be national champions. The defense played a fantastic game and outplayed Oklahoma's defense which was ranked number one in the nation. The offense moved the ball enough but the team just couldn't overcome Schaeffer. I've never seen one guy kill a team more than John did that day.

I can’t believe that the 1978 team hasn’t been mentioned. If they had scored from the goal line against Alabama they might have been considered the best PSU team ever. Millen, Clark, Suhey, Fusina just to name a few. The team had no obvious weakness. A lot of people still believe with instant replay we would have been awarded the TD.

 

[john4psu]

Which was the 7th best?????

Typical.

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

One of:
1978
1981
1985
1991
1999
2005
2016

 

[MacNit07]

Yep! If not for injuries that year, that team had National Championship written in stone. Probably the best overall offensive line in PSU history. Munchak, Farrell, Ramano….Oh My!

What injuries?

 

[brupsu]

I can’t believe that the 1978 team hasn’t been mentioned. If they had scored from the goal line against Alabama they might have been considered the best PSU team ever. Millen, Clark, Suhey, Fusina just to name a few. The team had no obvious weakness. A lot of people still believe with instant replay we would have been awarded the TD.

The only thing missing from 78 was a tailback with speed.I remember against Alabama fusina who was under a lot of pressure set up a perfect screen pass with nothing but green grass in front of him and he was caught from behind with a shoestring tackle.Imagine Warner on that team

 

[BOSCO2]

What injuries?

The only one that sticks out is Warner's hamstring problem. Didn't miss a lot of time with it, but, it didn't help.

 

[heckmans]

The '99 team was the best team besides those that I've seen.

The '99 team had perhaps the best defense, but had Kevin Thompson at QB and a very poor/mediocre offense

 

[Wallace Breen]

The '99 team had perhaps the best defense, but had Kevin Thompson at QB and a very poor/mediocre offense

The 99 team is one of the coulda woulda shoulda teams that had an opportunity to be great but just wasn't. The defense was good, not great. There was a bit of a boom or bust factor. In my opinion, Arrington and Brown were the two best players I have ever seen at their respective positions. Beyond that we had a couple of good players in David Macklin, James Boyd and Brandon Short, and a couple of solid starters in Bhowah Jue, Bruce Branch, Justin Kurpeikis who played out of position. After that, the talent drop off was pretty big. Arrington and Brown covered up a lot of warts but the defense had holes and they manifested themselves late in the year. On offense, the refusal to commit to Rashard Casey or Kevin Thompson caused major issues. Despite great talent, the 99 team was limited. The 99 teams resembles several of Franklin teams in that they had a lot of good to great players but an unbalanced roster created holes that did them in.

 

[Roar More]

1947 team went 9-0-1 with the tie coming against Doak Walker's SMU team in the Cotton Bowl. That is the same Cotton Bowl game that gave us the "We Are" myth. They had 6 shutouts, giving up an average 4 points per game. In the regular season, they gave up 153 rushing yards. Not per game, but for the entire season! Opponents averaged .64 yards per rush. Those NCAA records that still stand.

 

[fbh1]

The only thing missing from 78 was a tailback with speed.I remember against Alabama fusina who was under a lot of pressure set up a perfect screen pass with nothing but green grass in front of him and he was caught from behind with a shoestring tackle.Imagine Warner on that team

Warner was something else... but we had pretty good backs that year. Suhey was really good as well as Booker Moore, Joel Coles and Mike Guman. Suhey, Moore and Guman were all drafted into the NFL. Obviously Suhey was the most successful... playing fullback for the Bears. I do agree that it would have been nice to have a breakway threat like Warner... but how many teams enjoy that luxury. The 1978 defense was as good as any we have had. Bruce Clark was as good a PSU tackle as I've seen. Obviously Millen was outstanding as well. Fusina was the runnerup for the Heisman that year. That team should have been our first NC... it's a shame that it didn't happen.

 

[fbh1]

1947 team went 9-0-1 with the tie coming against Doak Walker's SMU team in the Cotton Bowl. That is the same Cotton Bowl game that gave us the "We Are" myth. They had 6 shutouts, giving up an average 4 points per game. In the regular season, they gave up 153 rushing yards. Not per game, but for the entire season! Opponents averaged .64 yards per rush. Those NCAA records that still stand.

Other than the 1947 team had nothing to do with the "We Are" myth (a nice story that is actually true)... you are correct about how good that team was. I was born 5 days before the Cotton Bowl game, but my father raved about that team for years. It was totally dominant. The "We Are" cheer started in the mid 1970's by our cheerleaders that were trying to develop a cheer that would get everyone motivated, etc. The captain of the squad was George Dennis, and the university finally recognized that squad during a halftime show a couple of years ago. I grew up in State College and went to all of the games. There was no We Are cheer being done in the 1950's and 1960's...

 

[john4psu]

Warner was something else... but we had pretty good backs that year. Suhey was really good as well as Booker Moore, Joel Coles and Mike Guman. Suhey, Moore and Guman were all drafted into the NFL. Obviously Suhey was the most successful... playing fullback for the Bears. I do agree that it would have been nice to have a breakway threat like Warner... but how many teams enjoy that luxury. The 1978 defense was as good as any we have had. Bruce Clark was as good a PSU tackle as I've seen. Obviously Millen was outstanding as well. Fusina was the runnerup for the Heisman that year. That team should have been our first NC... it's a shame that it didn't happen.

Third national championship. We won in 1911 and 1912 and recognized by the NCAA.

FBS Football Championship History | NCAA.com

The complete list of NCAA Football FBS champions from the first season to today.

www.ncaa.com

 

[fbh1]

The 99 team is one of the coulda woulda shoulda teams that had an opportunity to be great but just wasn't. The defense was good, not great. There was a bit of a boom or bust factor. In my opinion, Arrington and Brown were the two best players I have ever seen at their respective positions. Beyond that we had a couple of good players in David Macklin, James Boyd and Brandon Short, and a couple of solid starters in Bhowah Jue, Bruce Branch, Justin Kurpeikis who played out of position. After that, the talent drop off was pretty big. Arrington and Brown covered up a lot of warts but the defense had holes and they manifested themselves late in the year. On offense, the refusal to commit to Rashard Casey or Kevin Thompson caused major issues. Despite great talent, the 99 team was limited. The 99 teams resembles several of Franklin teams in that they had a lot of good to great players but an unbalanced roster created holes that did them in.

They never recovered after going 9-0 and losing they way they lost to Minnesota. That loss was one of the worst losses we have suffered and it seemed to take the spirit out of that team. It was never the same after that.

 

[wslee1]

The 11-1 '77 team was just like the '81 team and '85 team. A young team, and a year early. Had most everyone for the '78 team, Fusina, Suhey, Clark, Millen, Matt Bahr, et. all, plus All Everything(PR, WR, TB) Cefalo, FB Bob Torrey. Only a 4point loss to Kentucky at home, I can still see the anger in the eyes of MIllen and Clark, when then had qb sacks, but ended up with only pieces from stupid Kentucky tear off Jerseys. 🙄 I think we started wearing tear offs for a while the following year. We should have won that game for sure. Finishing with a FIesta Bowl win, they were the real deal.

 

[Lattner]

Any of the Milt Plum/Lenny Moore teams.

 

[ryoder1]

The 11-1 '77 team was just like the '81 team and '85 team. A young team, and a year early. Had most everyone for the '78 team, Fusina, Suhey, Clark, Millen, Matt Bahr, et. all, plus All Everything(PR, WR, TB) Cefalo, FB Bob Torrey. Only a 4point loss to Kentucky at home, I can still see the anger in the eyes of MIllen and Clark, when then had qb sacks, but ended up with only pieces from stupid Kentucky tear off Jerseys. 🙄 I think we started wearing tear offs for a while the following year. We should have one that game for sure. Finishing with a FIesta Bowl win, they were the real deal.

The' 77 team was outstanding. Beating Pitt in the snow by snuffing out their last minute comeback was epic. The Cefalo to Guman reverse punt for a TD was huge and still remains on my top 10 PSU football plays of all time.

 

[EPC FAN]

Excluding the '68, '69, '73, '82, '86 and '94 teams, which Penn State team was the best? The reason I pose the question is that I don't foresee Penn State going undefeated this year, and in all likelihood with one loss if not two, and even with two losses this year this could still be a VERY good team. So which non-national championship, non-undefeated Penn State team was the best?

The '78 team was perhaps a denied goal-line stand from a national championship. The '85 team was a year ahead of schedule with a very good defense. The '81 team had two losses but was playing outstanding football at the end of the season. The '71 team only had one loss and averaged 40 ppg on offense. The 2017 team was a few plays away from being undefeated.

1981

 

[LMTLION]

They never recovered after going 9-0 and losing they way they lost to Minnesota. That loss was one of the worst losses we have suffered and it seemed to take the spirit out of that team. It was never the same after that.

The late ‘90s teams were all extremely frustrating! They were ultra talented and quite frankly, mismanaged. The disappointments certainly foreshadowed the dark times ahead.

 

[bcspsu]

The' 77 team was outstanding. Beating Pitt in the snow by snuffing out their last minute comeback was epic. The Cefalo to Guman reverse punt for a TD was huge and still remains on my top 10 PSU football plays of all time.

I was at that game too. My uncle, brother and I sat in the end zone in which the last stop was made.

 

[PSUPride1]

I can’t believe that the 1978 team hasn’t been mentioned. If they had scored from the goal line against Alabama they might have been considered the best PSU team ever. Millen, Clark, Suhey, Fusina just to name a few. The team had no obvious weakness. A lot of people still believe with instant replay we would have been awarded the TD.

No doubt. And those same guys were great in 76 and 77. The wheels came off in 79.

 

[AvgUser]

. The offense moved the ball enough but the team just couldn't overcome Schaeffer. I've never seen one guy kill a team more than John did that day.

Counsel submits Taquan Roberson versus Iowa in 2022. Your move.

 

[PSUPride1]

Counsel submits Taquan Roberson versus Iowa in 2022. Your move.

The jury finds in favor of AvgUser. 😁

 

[indynittany]

Excluding the '68, '69, '73, '82, '86 and '94 teams, which Penn State team was the best? The reason I pose the question is that I don't foresee Penn State going undefeated this year, and in all likelihood with one loss if not two, and even with two losses this year this could still be a VERY good team. So which non-national championship, non-undefeated Penn State team was the best?

The '78 team was perhaps a denied goal-line stand from a national championship. The '85 team was a year ahead of schedule with a very good defense. The '81 team had two losses but was playing outstanding football at the end of the season. The '71 team only had one loss and averaged 40 ppg on offense. The 2017 team was a few plays away from being undefeated.

‘05.

 

[johnmpsu]

I really liked the 77 team and of course the 78 team played for the championship but I really enjoyed 77.

 

[IANit]

I really liked the 77 team and of course the 78 team played for the championship but I really enjoyed 77.

That was my first season following the team. They set kind of a high bar. Hard to believe they had to play in a Christmas Day bowl game. Dairy Queen had a Fiesta Sundae at the time I think, so it sounded fine to me at 8 to play in something called the Fiesta Bowl. Not so much now. All of the teams that finished ahead of us that year were also 11-1. Our loss was to a really good 10-1 Kentucky team that was undefeated in the SEC but on probation.

 

[ryoder1]

I was at that game too. My uncle, brother and I sat in the end zone in which the last stop was made.

Remember the Pitt fans all ringed around the endzone for that last 2 point conversion attempt. They were all on the field after their TD and were not removed.

I think Ron Hostetler had a huge interception for us in that same end zone earlier in the game.

Joe wore this brown suit, no overcoat jacket for that game. Old school at its best.

 

[Mufasa94]

‘77 had the best resume of 1-loss teams
‘81 had the best resume of 2-loss teams

 

[IANit]

‘77 had the best resume of 1-loss teams
‘81 had the best resume of 2-loss teams

1991 is probably in the conversation for 2-loss teams as well. Might even win the eye test.

 

[Mufasa94]

1991 is probably in the conversation for 2-loss teams as well. Might even win the eye test.

As far as straight resume, '91 would be noticeably behind '81. To highlight, here is a comparison of opponents played with final ranking and cumulative record shown:

'81: 85-49-2 .632, 6 top 20 (#4, #7, #8, #11, #14, #17)
'91: 80-69-2 .536, 3 top 20 (#1, #13, #14)

'91 does well on the eye test, which I usually try and avoid as it is subjective and everyone has their own preference. Tough to prove subjective things correct or incorrect.

 

[SEPATOPTEN]

The 78, 81 and 91 teams would be my choice.