The 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Penn State winning the national championship.
Coached by Joe Paterno, they defeated Miami (Fl) 14–10 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Despite all the hype surrounding Miami, Penn State's defense harassed and harried Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde throughout the Fiesta Bowl.
The Hurricanes committed seven turnovers, including five interceptions thrown by Testaverde – the last of which, in the end zone with 18 seconds left, won the game for the Nittany Lions.
3 Michigan won 24–23 at Notre Dame in Lou Holtz's first game as the Fighting Irish head coach, and No.
3 Michigan beat Oregon State 31–12, but still slipped a few spots in the next poll.
5 Penn State also fell to a lower ranking despite a win (26–14 at Boston College).
The Sooners were no luckier this year than last, as Vinny Testaverde led the Hurricanes to a 28–16 victory.
This was a major blow for the Sooners, who would finish the 1986 season ranked first in all four major defensive statistical categories – a feat not to be duplicated until 2012, by Alabama – but remained stuck behind Miami in the polls for the rest of the year.
5 Penn State needed a late comeback to beat Cincinnati 23–17, and No.
6 Oklahoma, which bounced back with a 47–12 victory over Texas, moved ahead of the Nittany Lions in the next poll: No.
2 matchup the previous season between Iowa and Michigan had decided the race for the 1986 Rose Bowl; in the 1986 rematch, the No.
The Hurricanes and the Nittany Lions both played relatively weak schedules with the exceptions of powerhouses Oklahoma and Alabama, and their upset victories bolstered their national championship aspirations.
5 Oklahoma achieved their second consecutive shutout, 38–0 at Iowa State, and No.
They had already beaten both USC and UCLA in Los Angeles, the first Pacific-10 conference team to do so in the same year.
2 Penn State barely got past Maryland 17–15, with the Terrapins falling short on a last-minute two-point conversion attempt.
(This was the latest episode in a difficult year for Cal coach Joe Kapp, who had unzipped his pants in front of the Seattle media following an embarrassing 50–18 loss against Washington in October and would be fired after the season.)
The Sun Devils’ victory allowed them to clinch the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl berth.
[5] Nevertheless, Michigan trailed in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown to tie the game at 17 with only two minutes to go.
3 Penn State had another close one, stopping Notre Dame 24–19 after the Irish had driven to the Lions’ 6-yard line with a minute left.
2 Penn State finished an undefeated regular season with a 34–14 victory over Pittsburgh.
5 Nebraska met in Lincoln to decide the Big 8 title and an Orange Bowl berth.
The Sooners entered the fourth quarter trailing by ten points, but came back to win 20–17 on a field goal with time running out.
7 Ohio State, both undefeated in Big Ten play, met to determine who would be the Sun Devils’ Rose Bowl opponent.
Quarterback Jim Harbaugh guaranteed a Michigan victory: "We don't care where we play the game.
"[6] This game also was decided by a late field goal, but this time it was an Ohio State miss which gave Michigan a 26–24 victory.
8 LSU, who had already clinched the SEC title and a Sugar Bowl berth, defeated Notre Dame 21–19.
[6] All the bowl games attempted to line up participants before the official bids were extended on November 22.
The Sugar Bowl agreed to take the loser of the Oklahoma-Nebraska game to match the SEC winner, and the Orange Bowl agreed to take the second place SWC team to match the Big 8 winner.
The Citrus Bowl, which moved to January 1, got a second place SEC team in Auburn, and, what they hoped would be a good matchup, in 7–2 USC.