The year was 1996. The No. 1 song in America was the Macarena, the highest-grossing film of the year was Independence Day, the Florida Gators won the national championship, and Penn State basketball was ranked in what would be the last time in 23 years.

Flash forward to 2019, Penn State basketball is back in the rankings at No. 23. But the world has changed since 1996, and a lot has happened since Penn State previously played a game as a ranked team. Here are some of the major events that have happened since 1996:

Penn State Football Fell, Rose, Fell Again, And Rose Once More

In 1996, the Penn State football team was 11-2 and Fiesta Bowl champions. It was a very good season that had the Nittany Lions ending as No. 7 in the AP poll. To wrap up the century, the team went 28-9 with victories in the Outback Bowl and the Alamo Bowl.

As the 2000s began though, Joe Paterno’s team struggled. From 2000-2004, the Nittany Lions went 26-33, only going to a bowl game in 2002, where they lost to Auburn. Midway through the decade, though, the team returned to its elite form.

In 2005, Penn State finished the season 11-1, was co-Big Ten champion, and they won a thrilling triple-overtime Orange Bowl against Florida State. They finished out the decade going 51-13, including a Rose Bowl appearance in 2008.

In 2011, though, everything changes for Penn State football. The unearthing of the Jerry Sandusky scandal rocked the entire university and led to the firing of head coach Joe Paterno, athletic director Tim Curley, and president Graham Spanier. Tom Bradley was named interim coach and stayed in that position for the rest of the season. However, the program incurred a litany of crippling sanctions including a postseason ban and scholarship reductions.

Bill O’Brien was hired in 2012 and went 15-9 in his two seasons in Happy Valley. He then left for the NFL before James Franklin was hired in 2014. Since Franklin was hired, Penn State has won a Big Ten championship, the Fiesta Bowl, and made a Rose Bowl appearance. Franklin just signed a new deal which will have him be the head coach of the Nittany Lions through 2025.

The College Football Playoff Replaced The BCS

The BCS had been a staple to college football, but there were a lot of people who were against those rankings. Eventually, the NCAA listened and decided to make a four-team College Football Playoff. The CFP has created a lot of interest in college football, but it also has a lot of controversy around it as some critics call for an expanded playoff.

Nebraska, Maryland, And Rutgers Joined The Big Ten

The Big Ten in 2019 is very different to the one in 1996. After joining in the 1990s, Penn State remained the newest member of the conference until Nebraska left the Big 12 and came along in 2011. Three years later, two more two teams joined when Maryland and Rutgers left the ACC and Big East, respectively.

The Big Ten Created Divisions

In 2011, after Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the conference created two divisions of six teams: the Leaders and Legends. This was the first time in the history of the Big Ten that there were divisions within the conference. When Maryland and Rutgers entered, the divisions realigned into its current iteration, with the divisions being called East and West.

Four US Presidents Held Office

In 1996, Bill Clinton was re-elected as President of the United States. However, the Monica Lewinsky scandal was brought to light in 1998, shrouding his second term in controversy. Since that time, there have been three more presidents: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.

College Basketball Looks A Lot Different

When Penn State was last ranked, UMass was No. 1 and Allen Iverson was still in college at Georgetown. That year, Kentucky, coached by Rick Pitino, won the national championship over Syracuse. Now in 2019, Pitino is not coaching in college basketball and UMass is not even close to being ranked in the top 25.

Since then, a 16-seed finally beat a 1-seed, the three-point line moved back to the international distance, and John Calipari has lead two other teams in Memphis and Kentucky to the national championship game.

The 1996 Penn State team, coached by Jerry Dunn, went 21-6 and was the five-seed in the East region. Twenty-three years later, Penn State is looking toward making it back to the promised land of March Madness, somewhere it’s yet to be since 2011.

Onward State (As Well As Its Entire Staff) Was Born

A lot of past events were talked about already, yet Onward State wasn’t even around to cover half of these events. In fact, no one on staff was even born in 1996, So for all of us, this is our first experience with Penn State basketball being ranked.

We have seen Penn State grow over the past 11 years, and we will see it grow even more in the future. As Penn State basketball goes into the future trying to make their first NCAA tournament since 2011, Onward State will be there following along.