| Year: | 1982 |
| Team: | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| Conference: | Independent |
| Coachrank: | 1 |
| Aprank: | 1 |
| Record: | 11–1 |
| Hc Year: | 17th |
| Oc Year: | 2nd |
| Dc Year: | 6th |
| Bowl Result: | W 27–23 vs. Georgia |
The 1982 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season.[1] Penn State defeated the Georgia Bulldogs, 27–23, in the Sugar Bowl to win Joe Paterno's first consensus national championship. The team was selected national champion by AP, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FACT, FB News, Football Research, FW, Litkenhous, Matthews, NCF, NFF, The New York Times, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess), Sporting News, UPI/coaches, and USA/CNN, while named co-champion by Helms.[2]
See also: 1982 NCAA Division I-A football rankings.
See also: 1982 Temple Owls football team.
See also: 1982 Maryland Terrapins football team and Maryland–Penn State football rivalry.
See also: 1982 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team.
See also: 1982 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.
See also: 1982 Alabama Crimson Tide football team and Alabama–Penn State football rivalry.
See also: 1982 Syracuse Orangemen football team and Penn State–Syracuse football rivalry.
See also: 1982 West Virginia Mountaineers football team.
See also: 1982 Boston College Eagles football team.
See also: 1982 North Carolina State Wolfpack football team.
See also: 1982 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.
See also: 1982 Pittsburgh Panthers football team.
See also: 1982 Georgia Bulldogs football team and 1983 Sugar Bowl.
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
Nittany Lion of the Year
Nine Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1983 NFL draft.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Name | Position | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 3 | 3 | Seattle Seahawks | |||
| 1st | 7 | 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | |||
| 3rd | 17 | 73 | Minnesota Vikings | |||
| 4th | 4 | 88 | Houston Oilers | |||
| 5th | 10 | 122 | Cleveland Browns | |||
| 5th | 28 | 140 | Pittsburgh Steelers | |||
| 10th | 8 | 261 | Offensive guard | Detroit Lions | ||
| 10th | 10 | 263 | Offensive guard | Seattle Seahawks | ||
| 10th | 15 | 268 | Atlanta Falcons |