William Dalrymple (historian)

1996 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy Fiesta Bowl champion
Fiesta Bowl, W 38–15 vs. Texas
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 7
Record	11–2 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Joe Paterno (31st season)
Offensive coordinator	Fran Ganter (13th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Jerry Sandusky (20th season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Kim Herring Brandon Noble Wally Richardson Barry Tielsch
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

The 1996 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 31st-year head coach Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for third place in the Big Ten. Penn State was invited to the Fiesta Bowl, where the Nittany Lions defeated Texas. The team played home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 25	2:00 p.m.	vs. No. 7 USC*	No. 11	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic)	ABC	W 24–7	77,716
September 7	3:30 p.m.	Louisville*	No. 7	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC	W 24–7	95,670
September 14	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois*	No. 6	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN Plus	W 49–0	95,589
September 21	12:00 p.m.	vs. Temple*	No. 5	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	ESPN Plus	W 41–0	24,847
September 28	3:30 p.m.	at Wisconsin	No. 3	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ABC	W 23–20	79,607
October 5	3:30 p.m.	at No. 3 Ohio State	No. 4	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry, College GameDay)	ABC	L 7–38	94,241
October 12	12:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 10	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN	W 31–14	96,653
October 19	12:30 p.m.	Iowa	No. 10	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN2	L 20–21	96,230
October 26	12:30 p.m.	at Indiana	No. 17	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	ESPN	W 48–26	37,354
November 2	3:30 p.m.	No. 11 Northwestern	No. 15	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC	W 34–9	96,596
November 16	12:00 p.m.	at No. 16 Michigan	No. 11	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC	W 29–17	105,898
November 23	3:30 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 7	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 32–29	96,263
January 1, 1997	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 20 Texas*	No. 7	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	CBS	W 38–15	65,106
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Three Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1997 NFL draft.