Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Eddrick Houston (96) pressures Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) during the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 1, 2025.

Penn State football entered the 2025 college football season with some unprecedented and lofty expectations, including being looked at as a national championship contender.

The preseason hype all checked out on paper: the Nittany Lions were fresh off a College Football Playoff semifinal finish against Notre Dame, kept several key members of their offense — including quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton — from entering the NFL draft, and were a top-three preseason-ranked team in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

That anticipation and hype have not been closely met, as the Nittany Lions are no longer ranked, sit at the bottom of the Big Ten standings, have lost Allar to a season-ending injury and have an interim coach in Terry Smith after James Franklin was fired after three consecutive losses in conference play, including two back-to-back losses to unranked opponents UCLA and Northwestern.

It's an almost unprecedented start and territory for one of college football's biggest brands, which consistently was in the mix as a top program in the country the last handful of seasons under Franklin and earned a top-six seed in the CFP last season.

The Nittany Lions' schedule doesn't ease up in Week 11 of the season, as they welcome No. 2 Indiana to Beaver Stadium for a noon ET kickoff in Happy Valley. Led by Heisman Trophy candidate Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers have been one of the best teams in college football this season, ranking No. 1 in scoring offense and No. 3 in scoring defense in the country.

So with Penn State as a 14.5-point underdog at home against Indiana and in the midst of one of its worst seasons of recent memory, when was the last time the Nittany Lions dropped to 0-6 in Big Ten play?

Here's what to know:

When is the last time Penn State football started 0-6 in Big Ten play?

If Penn State drops its Week 11 game to Indiana on Saturday, it will mark the first time that the Nittany Lions have opened Big Ten play with a 0-6 record since the 2004 season under Joe Paterno. That season, Penn State opened up conference play with four consecutive losses to ranked opponents in No. 20 Wisconsin (16-3), No. 18 Minnesota (16-7), No. 9 Purdue (20-13) and No. 25 Iowa (6-4). It wasn't until their second-to-last week of the season against Indiana that the Nittany Lions didn't win their first Big Ten game that year.

Of note, the 2004 season was the Nittany Lions' 11th season competing as a member of the Big Ten, as they competed as an independent until the 1993 season.

Here's a game-by-game breakdown of how Penn State has fared in Big Ten play this season:

  • Saturday, Sept. 27: Loss to No. 6 Oregon 30-24 in 2OT
  • Saturday, Oct. 4: Loss to UCLA 42-37
  • Saturday, Oct. 11: Loss to Northwestern 22-21
  • Saturday, Oct. 18: Loss to Iowa 25-24
  • Saturday, Nov. 1: Loss to No. 1 Ohio State 38-14

Penn State football worst Big Ten seasons

In its 33 seasons in the Big Ten, Penn State's worst conference record came in 2003 when the Nittany Lions finished 1-7 in Big Ten play. That season, the Nittany Lions started 2-2 after non-conference play and then dropped their first six Big Ten games — vs. No. 24 Minnesota, Wisconsin, No. 18 Purdue, No. 16 Iowa, Ohio State and Northwestern — before they picked up their first conference win of the season on Nov. 15 against Indiana.

Here's a look at some of Penn State's worst records in Big Ten play:

Seasons listed in increasing order of wins, then win percentage

  • 2003: 1-7
  • 2004: 2-6
  • 2014: 2-6
  • 2020: 4-5
  • 2021: 4-5
  • 2001: 4-4
  • 2000: 4-4
  • 2007: 4-4
  • 2010: 4-4
  • 2013: 4-4
  • 2015: 4-4

When is the last time Penn State football was not bowl-eligible?

The last time Penn State did not finish the regular season bowl-eligible came just a couple of years ago during the 20-2020 season, when the Nittany Lions finished 4-5 in the shortened COVID-19 pandemic season. The last time Penn State was not bowl-eligible in a non-COVID condensed season was in 2004 under Paterno, as Penn State was banned from the postseason in both 2012 and 2013 from the Jerry Sandusky Child Sex Abuse scandal.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Penn State football worst starts: Nittany Lions aim to avoid 0-6 Big Ten start vs Indiana

Reporting by John Leuzzi, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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