Big Ten Matchups

Penn State vs Alabama

Penn State Nittany Lions vs Alabama Crimson Tide

Who wins Penn State vs Alabama?

Tap your pick, it saves on this device.

Head-to-head on record

Penn State vs Alabama series
TeamWinsSeries
Penn State Nittany Lions5Alabama leads
Alabama Crimson Tide10

Meetings since 1959: 15. Source: CollegeFootballData game log.

The series in numbers

Alabama has won the last 2 meetings.

4-8 Regular season
1-2 Postseason
4-6 Last 10
13-17 Avg score
4 Longest Alabama win run

Biggest Penn State win 23-3 in 1986, a 20-point margin.

Biggest Penn State loss 3-24 in 2010, a 21-point margin.

Every Penn State vs Alabama meeting

Penn State Nittany Lions vs Alabama Crimson Tide, every meeting on record
SeasonResultSiteScore
2011 Alabama win University Park 11-27
2010 Alabama win Tuscaloosa 3-24
1990 Penn State win Tuscaloosa 9-0
1989 Alabama win University Park 16-17
1988 Alabama win Tuscaloosa 3-8
1987 Alabama win University Park 13-24
1986 Penn State win Tuscaloosa 23-3
1985 Penn State win University Park 19-17
1984 Alabama win Tuscaloosa 0-6
1983 Penn State win University Park 34-28
1982 Alabama win Tuscaloosa 21-42
1981 Alabama win University Park 16-31
1978 * Alabama win Neutral 7-14
1975 * Alabama win Neutral 6-13
1959 * Penn State win Neutral 7-0

* postseason meeting. Scores from the Penn State perspective. Source: CollegeFootballData game log, since 1959.

Matchup stats

Last five games

AlabamaProvided by secfootball.co

DateOppResult
10-03 atMSST W 56-23
09-26 vsSOUTHC W 49-18
09-19 vsFSU W 50-36
09-12 atUK W 45-17
09-05 vsECU W 48-10

Penn State

DateOppResult
10-02 atNU L 13-34
09-26 vsWIS L 20-24
09-19 vsBUF W 55-13
09-12 atTEM W 27-9
09-05 vsMRSH W 45-0

Completed results from CollegeFootballData via the CFB Data Hub

2026 standings

SECProvided by secfootball.co

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Georgia 500 1.00025767
Alabama 500 1.000248104
Texas 400 1.00013353
LSU 410 .80021876
Tennessee 410 .80018476
Florida 410 .800231136
Missouri 410 .800188100
Mississippi State 410 .800195140
Kentucky 410 .800173134
Ole Miss 310 .750142123
Texas A&M 320 .60015993
Auburn 320 .600134107
Vanderbilt 320 .600127125
Oklahoma 220 .5008864
South Carolina 230 .400188134
Arkansas 230 .40099142

Big Ten

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Indiana 500 1.00022154
Nebraska 500 1.00021871
UCLA 400 1.00017975
USC 510 .833224153
Ohio State 410 .80021163
Iowa 410 .80014563
Wisconsin 410 .80015883
Minnesota 410 .80016090
Oregon 310 .75019093
Northwestern 310 .75013267
Penn State 320 .60016080
Washington 320 .60013392
Michigan 320 .60011579
Illinois 230 .400153130
Maryland 230 .400152151
Purdue 230 .400152175
Michigan State 230 .40091116
Rutgers 140 .200150161

Records computed from completed games this season

Alabama Crimson Tide lead the series since 1959, 10-5. Here is the series on record and how to watch when Penn State and Alabama meet.

How to watch Penn State vs Alabama

When Penn State and Alabama are scheduled, here is how to find the game.

  1. National TV National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1).
  2. Streaming ESPN+ and the FOX Sports app stream the national windows.
  3. Radio Listen on the Penn State radio network.
  4. Confirm kickoff Kickoff and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week. Check the match center for the Penn State vs Alabama time and line.

The live time, line and how-to-watch details land on the match center and how to watch pages once the game is scheduled.

The Penn State this season

Follow Penn State in the title race on the Big Ten standings, and model the finish with the title race calculator. For the conference series that define the year, see the Big Ten rivalry pages, or browse every Big Ten matchup.

About the author and reviewer

Written by

The BIG10.CO Desk

Conference Newsroom · Independent Big Ten coverage since 2026

The house desk of BIG10.CO - independent researchers tracking every Big Ten game, stat and storyline.

Fact-checked by

BIG10.CO Coverage Review

Fact & Data Review · Primary-source verification

Every stat and historical claim on data pages is checked against official box scores and the live feed before publication.

Independence: BIG10.CO was not paid by any school, network or sportsbook for this page. Corrections are logged in our editorial policy.

Penn State vs Alabama: the essentials

Penn State Nittany Lions vs Alabama Crimson Tide is a non-conference matchup that sets the Big Ten against the SEC (Power 4). Alabama Crimson Tide lead the series since 1959, 10-5. Across 15 meetings on record the series is one-sided so far, and whenever the two programs are scheduled this page carries the Penn State vs Alabama head-to-head record, the matchup numbers for both sides, and how to watch on TV and streaming. It sits alongside the Penn State Nittany Lions team hub, the Big Ten this week round-up and the live conference standings. For Alabama against the whole conference, see Alabama vs the Big Ten.

The Big Ten Report

One conference, in your inbox every Tuesday.

Standings, the title race and one opinion on the Big Ten. No filler.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. We never sell your email.

Frequently asked questions

What is the all-time record between Penn State and Alabama?

Alabama Crimson Tide lead the series since 1959, 10-5. The two programs have met 15 times on record.

How can I watch Penn State vs Alabama?

National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1). Kickoff time and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week.

Are Penn State and Alabama in the same conference?

No. Penn State plays in the Big Ten. Alabama plays in the SEC (Power 4). This is a non-conference game.