Although there were dreams of playing for a national championship, the Nittany Lions hit a few bumps along the way during the 2017 season. A promising start was derailed with back-to-back road losses against Ohio State and Michigan State. Still, by finishing the season strong, the Nittany Lions ended up with a prestigious spot in the Fiesta Bowl.
Their opponent during the postseason was a Pac-12 foe for the second straight year. After falling in the final minutes to USC in the Rose Bowl a year earlier, Penn State was looking for a better result against the No.