Penn State Upsets and Scares 1980-2019

Total upset score over 40 years is 2228. Average per year is 55.7

Total Upset Score	Result	Upset Value	Away Bonus	Blowout Bonus
252	On Sep 14, 2002, unranked Penn State defeated 8th ranked Nebraska by 33 points at home.	180	0	72
240	On Oct 22, 2016, unranked Penn State defeated 2nd ranked Ohio State by 3 points at home.	240	0	0
230	On Oct 8, 1983, unranked Penn State defeated 3rd ranked Alabama by 6 points at home.	230	0	0
220	On Oct 22, 1983, unranked Penn State defeated 4th ranked West Virginia by 18 points at home.	220	0	0
204	On Nov 17, 1990, 18th ranked Penn State defeated 1st ranked Notre Dame by 3 points away.	170	34	0
190	On Nov 21, 1987, unranked Penn State defeated 7th ranked Notre Dame by 1 points at home.	190	0	0
170	On Nov 3, 1984, unranked Penn State defeated 9th ranked Boston College by 7 points at home.	170	0	0
160	On Nov 28, 1981, 11th ranked Penn State defeated 1st ranked Pitt by 34 points away.	100	20	40
144	On Sep 7, 1985, 19th ranked Penn State defeated 7th ranked Maryland by 2 points away.	120	24	0
144	On Nov 30, 2013, unranked Penn State defeated 14th ranked Wisconsin by 7 points away.	120	24	0
100	On Oct 8, 2005, 16th ranked Penn State defeated 6th ranked Ohio State by 7 points at home.	100	0	0
90	On Nov 1, 2003, unranked Penn State narrowly lost to 8th ranked Ohio State by 1 points at home.	90	0	0
84	On Nov 14, 1992, 22nd ranked Penn State narrowly lost to 8th ranked Notre Dame by 1 points away.	70	14	0

For this table an upset is a win over an opponent ranked 10 or more slots better. Unranked teams are considered ranked 26th. The upset score is 10 points multiplied by the difference in ranking, thus a 21st ranked team beating a 1st ranked team is a better upset (200 points) than a 21st ranked team beating an 11th ranked team (100 points). Winning away grants a 20% bonus. Winning by 21 points or more is a blowout and grants a 40% bonus. A scare is a tie or a loss within 3 points of a better ranked team. Scares are worth 50% of upsets, and can get an away bonus. Leave a comment if you would like to see another school, other years, or different criteria for determining an upset or scare.