Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry
| First meeting | 1912 Penn State, 37–0 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | 2016 Penn State, 24–21 |
| Next meeting | October 28, 2017 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 32 |
| All-time series | Ohio State leads, 17–14 |
| Largest victory | Penn State, 63–14 (1994); Ohio State, 63–14 (2013) |
| Longest win streak | Penn State, 4 (1912–64), Ohio State, 4 (2012–15) |
| Current win streak | Penn State, 1 (2016–present) |
The Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Ohio State University Buckeyes and the Penn State University Nittany Lions.
Ohio State leads the series 17–14.
The programs met eight times before 1993 when Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference. Since 1993, the teams have played annually, and the series continues as an annual divisional game.
Penn State won the first four meetings in the series, however the games were scheduled intermittently between 1912 and 1964. The first ever match-up was held in Columbus, Ohio in November 1912. Penn State, coming off an 8–0–1 season in 1911, shut out Ohio State, 37-0. The game is officially recorded as a forfeit by Ohio State. The first contest held in State College, Pennsylvania was in 1976 where Ohio State beat Penn State, 12–7.
In 1980, the two schools played in their first and only postseason bowl, the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State's record was 9–3, and Penn State's 10 - 2. Penn State won, 31 - 19, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
Following the 1980 Fiesta Bowl, Penn State and Ohio State did not meet again until Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Ohio State won the first conference meeting, 24 - 6. From 1993 through 2000, Ohio State won 5 of 8 games. In 1995, the Nittany Lions were the losing team, losing 28–25 to Ohio State. In 1996, the Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 38–7. The Nittany Lions got revenge next year as Penn State, ranked No. 1 at the time and into November before losing to Michigan, came back from 27–17 to win 31–27. The two teams split the next two, and Ohio State won in 2000, 45–6. This was the most lopsided Ohio State win over Penn State and the second largest margin of victory for either team.
The 2000s saw several close games between the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions, as they put long time Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, against Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. Ohio State went 6–3 during this period. What would have been the Buckeyes' seventh win in 2010, along with that entire season, was vacated as a result of players receiving improper benefits. Ohio State won seven Big Ten titles, either shared or outright, in 2002 and 2005 through 2010, although Ohio State vacated the 2010 title due to improper player benefits. Penn State shared titles in 2005 and 2008 with Ohio State.
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