Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
P O S T S E A S O N P R E V I E W >> P E N N S T A T E for the coveted postseason games had changed drastically. In an effort to elimi- nate the early and sometimes faulty pair- ings that were made before the end of the regular season, the major bowls worked out an arrangement with the power con- ferences to create an organization to de- termine the matchups. Their first attempt, the Bowl Coalition, was launched during the 1992 season but failed because the Big Ten and Rose Bowl did not participate. Their absence may have cost the 1994 Nittany Lions the na- tional championship, as the Coalition couldn't match up No. 1 Nebraska against No. 2 Penn State. Three years later, with the two outliers now cooperating, the reconfigured Bowl Alliance took charge. In 1996, with the third and fifth picks in the Alliance, the Fiesta Bowl selected No. 7 Penn State, now in its fourth year as a member of the Big Ten, and No. 20 Texas, the Big 12 champ. Although Penn State's 10-2 record was better than the 8-4 mark of Texas, odds- makers made the Longhorns slight 1½- point favorites. But the oddsmakers were wrong again, just as they had been in 1986. Trailing 12-7 at the half, the Lions surged in the final two quarters behind the quarterbacking of Wally Richardson and running of Curtis Enis, demolishing Texas, 38-15. The romance cooled off, as Penn State and the Fiesta Bowl could not get to- gether over the next 20 years while the Bowl Alliance was transitioning into the Bowl Championship Series and eventu- ally the College Football Playoff, leading to the first real playoff in the sport's top division. This year, the Fiesta Bowl ap- pears to be a natural pairing for two teams with identical 10-2 records that almost made it to the final four. However, the scenery has changed. The game is no longer played in Tempe but since 2007 has taken place in nearby Glendale at University of Phoenix Stadium. As the higher-ranked team in the CFP standings – they are ninth, while Washington is 11th – the Nittany Lions are considered the hosts. True love never ends. ■