The 25 best college football teams to not win a national championship

Best college football teams without a national championship: 1981 Penn State Nittany Lions

It might seem a bit strange to rank a two-loss Penn State team over other teams that either ran the table or finished with a single loss, but Joe Paterno’s 1981 Nittany Lions were a different case.

Todd Blackledge piloted a balanced Penn State offensive attack that was aided by a dominant offensive line and the customarily stout defensive that was the calling card of Paterno’s best squads in Happy Valley.

Penn State earned an early-season road win over Nebraska that vaulted it into national contention but suffered a swoon in late October and early November that included an upset loss at the hands of Miami on the road and a 31-16 home defeat at the hands of Paul “Bear” Bryant and Alabama.

The Nittany Lions shook off the cobwebs though and finished the season strong. They earned a close win over Notre Dame, and then absolutely dismantled then-No. 1 Pittsburgh on the road to the tune of a 48-14 thrashing that showed the world that Penn State was as good as any team in the country.

Penn State capped the season by rolling past USC 26-10 in the Fiesta Bowl, but the close loss to Miami at the end of October kept Paterno from potentially having a shot at what would have been his first national championship.