The 1986 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University as an independent during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season.

Led by 21st-year head coach Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions compiled a record of 12–0.

Penn State defeated the Miami Hurricanes, 14–10, in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl to win Paterno's second consensus national championship.

[1] The team was named national champion by AP, Billingsley, FB News, FW, Matthews, NCF, NFF, Sporting News, UPI, and USA/CNN, while named co-champion by FACT, Sagarin (ELO-Chess).

Roster Last update: 2015-12-20 [7][8] Thirteen Nittany Lions were drafted in the 1987 NFL draft.