There's quite a bit of buzz surrounding the Big Ten expansion talk; well, maybe not as much as the talk about the two Penn State grads who chalked up a whopping $9,000 for coach Joe Paterno's glasses. For those who may be in the dark about Penn State football, their first season was way back in 1887. Speaking of Paterno though, he's in his 44th year with a .752 average. The Penn State Nittany Lions have had some notable seasons that have included national championships and conference championships. During 1982 and 1986, the Nittany Lions won two concensus national championships. Other national championship winning years include 1911, 1912, 19699, 1981 and 1994. Having joined the Big Ten Conference in 1990, the Nittany Lions have won three conference championships in 1994, 2005 and 2008. This determined team has also been invited to bowl games a total of 42 times. Their record stands at 27-13-2 (0.643), which is the second highest winning percentage in Division I FBS. This Penn State team has won the Liberty Bowl, Gator Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl Classic, Aloha Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Outback Bowl. Some of the major rivalries that have spanned almost as long as the history of the Nittany Lions themselves are those between the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan State Spartans, Michigan Wolverines, Minnesota Golden Gophers and Temple Owls. Interestingly enough, Penn State's Nittany Lions have been beating Temple since 1941. This rivalry has lots of steam behind it has Penn State continues to hold Temple down but the current series is set to continue every season until at least the year of 2012. Dormant rivalries include Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Maryland, Syracuse and Notre Dame. The Penn State Nittany Lions also have one Heisman Trophy winner. All home games are played at Beaver Stadium, which is located at University Drive and Park Avenue in University Park, Pennsylvania. The stadium has a seating capacity of 107,282. The capacity has increased over the years since 1991. Built in 1960, Beaver Stadium may be one of the oldest outdoor stadiums still in use but it is likewise regarded by many as one of the best. When it opened on September 17, 1960, there were seats for only 46,284 patrons. Today, the natural grass surface provides a spectacular foundation for what some call the greatest show in college football. Owned and operated by Pennsylvania State University, the record setting crowd was 110,753 on September 14, 2002. The game played that day was against Nebraska and the Nittany Lions won 40-7. One of the traditions at Beaver Stadium is the S-Zone which is the student section located along the 20-yard line. The students who sit in this area are given blue and white shirts to form an S in the senior section. If you're looking for a stadium that brings the noise and excitement and has huge crowds to boot. There are three levels of seating in Beaver Stadium, Lower, Club and Upper. Along the upper level there are suites for premium seating and access to a wide array of amenities. Access to the stadium is made convenient by five gates with alphabetical indicators. Only Gate A opens 2 hours before kickoff. All other gates open one and a half hours prior to kickoff. As with many college stadiums, re-entry into football games is not permitted. If you want to have an unparalleled experience at a football games that brings together droves of fans all on the same page, which is to support and appreciate the Nittany Lions, there's no better place to gather than at Beaver Stadium to enjoy one or more of the games where this great team takes on the opponent.
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