# 2024 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
The 2024 [Penn State Nittany Lions football](https://www.edgepedia.org/penn-state-nittany-lions-football) team represented [Pennsylvania State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/pennsylvania-state-university) in the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season, finishing 13-3 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten conference play under 11th-year head coach James Franklin. The season was the program's first appearance in the [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff), where Penn State won two games before falling to Notre Dame 27-24 in the Orange Bowl semifinal.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/penn-state/2024.html) • [2](https://saturdaytradition.com/college-football/big-ten/coaches/james-franklin/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 13-3 overall (.813), 8-1 in Big Ten play (.889)[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/penn-state/2024.html) |
| Coach | James Franklin, 13-3 in his 11th season at Penn State[3](https://www.football-reference.com/cfb/schools/penn-state/) |
| Postseason | CFP first round win 38-10 over SMU; Fiesta Bowl win 31-14 over Boise State; Orange Bowl loss 27-24 to Notre Dame[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/penn-state/2024.html) |
| Big Ten title game | Lost 37-45 to No. 1 Oregon on December 7 in Indianapolis[4](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024) |
| Rankings | AP preseason No. 8, AP high No. 3, AP final No. 5, CFP final ranking No. 4[3](https://www.football-reference.com/cfb/schools/penn-state/) |
| Home/away splits | 7-1 at home, 5-0 away, 1-2 on neutral fields[4](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024) |
| Milestone | First College Football Playoff appearance in program history[2](https://saturdaytradition.com/college-football/big-ten/coaches/james-franklin/) |
## Regular season
Penn State opened the season ranked No. 8 in the AP preseason poll and won its first eight games. The opening stretch included a 34-12 road win at [West Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-virginia) on August 31, home wins over Bowling Green (34-27), Kent State (56-0), Illinois (21-7), and UCLA (27-11), an overtime road win at USC (33-30), and a 28-13 win at Wisconsin.[4](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024) • [5](https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2024/08/12/ap-top-25-college-football-poll-penn-state)
**The Ohio State loss.** The first defeat came at home on November 2, when Ohio State won 20-13 at [Beaver Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/beaver-stadium). It was Ohio State's eighth consecutive win in the series.[4](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/bbd722c4c3176337de7b6f17c03540ea) Penn State closed the regular season with four straight wins, including a 26-25 escape at Minnesota and a 44-7 Senior Day win over Maryland, finishing 8-1 in conference play.[4](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024)
In the December 7 game at [Lucas Oil Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucas-oil-stadium) in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), top-ranked Oregon beat Penn State 45-37.[4](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024)
## College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff selection committee's final 2024 rankings placed Penn State No. 4 with an 11-2 record, earning the [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) seed in the first 12-team playoff.[7](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/news/2024/12/8/cfp-rankings-241208) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/82f0b32be61edae2f26f3f88de577786) Penn State had opened the season's CFP rankings at No. 6 and reached No. 4 in the November 19 poll.[9](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2024/11/20/XbJeayjvZQovvEZBuNWhmxFOHm0QIHj2fqNiMAab.pdf)
**First round vs. SMU.** On December 21, Penn State hosted SMU at Beaver Stadium in the playoff first round, the first playoff appearance for both programs. After a slow start, Penn State pulled away to win 38-10, forcing three turnovers and collecting three sacks while holding the Mustangs to season lows in points and yards (253).[8](https://apnews.com/article/82f0b32be61edae2f26f3f88de577786) • [10](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2024/12/17/R1-SMU-PSU)
**Fiesta Bowl vs. Boise State.** In the quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in [Glendale, Arizona](https://www.edgepedia.org/glendale-arizona), on December 31, Penn State beat No. 3 seed Boise State 31-14. Boise State was one of four teams with first-round byes to lose in the quarterfinals that season.[4](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024) • [11](https://apnews.com/article/a3c15b6a324327fde45dba63dbebf202)
**Orange Bowl semifinal.** In the CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl at [Hard Rock Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/hard-rock-stadium) in Miami on January 9, 2025, No. 7 seed Notre Dame beat Penn State 27-24 to advance to the national championship game. Penn State led 10-0 at halftime before Notre Dame scored 17 points in the fourth quarter.[4](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024) • [12](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/1/10/SF-Orange-recap) • [13](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/scoreboard/FINAL/2024/postseason/20/)
## Season assessment
The 13 wins matched a program benchmark: Penn State tallied 12 or more wins in a season for the fourth time in program history, joining the 1973, 1986, and 1994 teams.[14](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/roster/season/2024/staff/james-franklin) The team finished No. 5 in the final AP poll, its highest finish of the Franklin era and its highest since 2005, and No.
## References
1. [2024 Penn State Nittany Lions Stats, Sports Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/penn-state/2024.html)
2. [James Franklin Coaching History & Bio, Saturday Tradition](https://saturdaytradition.com/college-football/big-ten/coaches/james-franklin/)
3. [Penn State Nittany Lions College Football History, Stats, Records, Sports Reference](https://www.football-reference.com/cfb/schools/penn-state/)
4. [2024 Football Schedule, Penn State Official Athletics Website](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/schedule/season/2024)
5. [Penn State ranks No. 8 in AP Top 25 preseason poll, Axios Philadelphia](https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2024/08/12/ap-top-25-college-football-poll-penn-state)
6. [AP Top 25: Oregon a unanimous No. 1 ahead of 1st CFP rankings, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/bbd722c4c3176337de7b6f17c03540ea)
7. [CFP Selection Committee Announces Final Top 25 Rankings of 2024, College Football Playoff](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/news/2024/12/8/cfp-rankings-241208)
8. [Former walk-on DeLuca provides early spark, Penn State drills SMU 38-10 in CFP, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/82f0b32be61edae2f26f3f88de577786)
9. [2024 Penn State Football game notes, Minnesota](https://gophersports.com/documents/download/2024/11/20/XbJeayjvZQovvEZBuNWhmxFOHm0QIHj2fqNiMAab.pdf)
10. [CFP First Round: No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, College Football Playoff](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2024/12/17/R1-SMU-PSU)
11. [Defense carries the day for Oregon, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a3c15b6a324327fde45dba63dbebf202)
12. [CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl Recap, College Football Playoff](https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2025/1/10/SF-Orange-recap)
13. [2024 NCAA Football Scores, Semifinals, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/scoreboard/FINAL/2024/postseason/20/)
14. [James Franklin bio, Penn State Official Athletics Website](https://gopsusports.com/sports/football/roster/season/2024/staff/james-franklin)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license