College Fooball SMQ: 5 best realignment moves in modern college football history

Penn State was a powerhouse before they joined the Big Ten. The longtime independent lorded over the northeast during the long reign of Joe Paterno. A win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl gave the Nittany Lions the 1982 national title. Four years later, Penn State took down Miami in the Fiesta Bowl for the crown.

Even with that history, joining the Big Ten opened new avenues for the Nittany Lions. In just their second season as a conference member, Penn State won the Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl to finish No. 2 in the country.

They also won Big Ten titles in 2005 and 2008, and just missed out on playing in the first Big Ten championship game. Joining the league allowed Penn State to remain relevant at a point when the era of independent programs was fading in the rearview mirror of history.

Conference affiliation also provided some semblance of refuge after the fallout from the Sandusky scandal. Had the Nittany Lions still been an independent program, weathering the storm that ended Paterno’s career in Happy Valley would have been far more difficult than it was already.

Big Ten dollars have fortified the Nittany Lions. Likewise, the addition of Penn State gave the conference another blue-chip program in the fold to go along with all the other bluebloods in the loop. That combination of teams has allowed the league to rake in the money, as the conference continues to lead the pack in revenue generation.