Each college football season’s biggest ‘what if’ of the last 25 years

1994: What if Penn State was included in the Bowl Coalition?

The Bowl Coalition was a good idea by the NCAA, but on way too many occasions, it failed to produce a true national champion. The case can be made for the 1994 Penn State Nittany Lions, who finished the season with an undefeated record. However, they played their games in the Big Ten, which was not a member of the coalition, and therefore could not play for a national title.

Could the Penn State Nittany Lions have beaten either Nebraska or Miami that season? That is a very good question, as they possessed some of the best offensive talent in the country. Quarterback Kerry Collins was arguably the best player in the country at his position, and running back Ki-Jana Carter was an absolute freak. You have to believe that this roster could have made life very difficult for either the Cornhuskers, or the Hurricanes.

Instead, the Nittany Lions were obligated to play in the Rose Bowl, which featured the top teams from the Pac-10 and the Big Ten, both conferences left out of the Bowl Coalition. The Oregon Ducks proved to be no match for Joe Paterno and company, as the Lions rolled, finishing their season with a 12-0 record.

The Bowl Coalition would be replaced by the Bowl Alliance the following season, but the alliance would be replaced by the BCS system a few years later. It is crazy to think that an undefeated Penn State team would not get a shot at the title, but that is what happened in 1994. Nebraska won the title over the Hurricanes, but there will always be a big ‘what if’ among college football fans who would have loved to see the Lions get a shot at either team.