Indiana is your 2025-26 College Football Playoff National Champion, taking down Miami with a 27-21 win that capped off a stunning postseason run. But for Penn State fans, that final score hits a little differently. Because once again, the Nittany Lions were this close.
In a season where expectations were sky-high in Happy Valley, Penn State found itself on the outside looking in by the time the playoff picture came into focus. What was supposed to be a championship-caliber campaign unraveled into a scramble just to secure a non-playoff bowl bid. By Week 14, the conversation had shifted from playoff seeding to salvaging pride.
But rewind to Week 11, and the story looked very different. That’s when Penn State went toe-to-toe with Indiana - the team that would go on to win it all - and came up just three points short in a 27-24 heartbreaker.
That game marked a turning point for the Nittany Lions. Freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer had finally settled into the starting role, and interim head coach Terry Smith had injected some much-needed energy into the locker room.
The team was playing with urgency and belief. But Indiana, as we now know, had championship DNA.
And they handed Penn State its sixth straight loss - by a single possession.
That narrow loss might feel like a moral victory to some, especially considering how the season had gone up to that point. But zoom out, and it starts to paint a frustrating picture of near-misses and what-ifs.
For the third straight season, Penn State has lost to the eventual national champion - and each time, the margin has been razor-thin. In 2024, they fell to Ohio State 20-13.
The year before that, Michigan got the better of them, 24-15. All three games were within single digits.
In two of them, Penn State was one possession away from tying or taking the lead late. Against Michigan, they needed two scores - but again, the margin was close enough to sting.
This isn’t just about losing to good teams. It’s about being on the cusp of greatness and not quite getting there.
It’s about being in the ring with the best in college football and taking punches, but never landing the knockout blow. Whether it was Indiana this year, Ohio State last year, or Michigan the year before, Penn State was in the fight.
They just didn’t finish.
And it’s not just about the champions. The Nittany Lions were also within striking distance of Notre Dame in the 2024-25 season - a game that could’ve punched their ticket to the national title game. Again, one possession, one score, one play - that’s all that separated them from a shot at history.
Now the focus shifts to Matt Campbell. The new head coach has taken the reins with a clear mission: break the cycle.
The talent is there. The culture is competitive.
But something has to change if Penn State wants to stop being the team that almost beat the champs and start being the team that becomes the champs.
Because close isn’t cutting it anymore. Not in Happy Valley.