Penn State football rose to No. 3 in the AP Poll on Sunday after its 33-30 overtime win over USC this past Saturday.

This was the first time the Nittany Lions were ranked in the top three since week six of the 2017 season, although they eventually dropped down to No. 7 in week nine. Believe it or not, that was seven years ago. A lot has changed since then.

Here’s a look back at what life was like in late 2017. 

Saquon Barkley Was A Junior At Penn State

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was in his third and final year with the Nittany Lions before forgoing his senior year and getting drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Giants in the 2018 NFL draft. 

While at Penn State, Barkley set numerous school records, including breaking the all-time rushing and total touchdown records. In 2017, he was in the running for the Heisman Trophy and finished fourth behind Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, Stanford’s Bryce Love, and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson.

College GameDay Was In Town For The White Out Win Against Michigan

College GameDay made its first appearance in Happy Valley since 2009 when No. 2 Penn State hosted No. 19 Michigan in the 2017 White Out.

At the end of the half, Penn State was up 21-13, and by the end of the game, the Nittany Lions had blown out the Wolverines 42-13. Six of Penn State’s 12 offensive possessions ended with a touchdown. 

The game had a record-breaking attendance of 110,823. Historically, White Out games are just different, but this game was one to remember. 

Ken’s Best Wurst Closed After Six Years

Ken Baumgarten was famous for his after-hours snacks. He was known as the dude with the hot dog cart in the parking lot outside of the Lion’s Den and had been running the cart since May 2011. Every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, he ran his hot dog cart from 10 p.m. to around 3 a.m., even in the middle of winter. 

In October 2017, Baumgarten announced it was time for him to “hang up his tongs.” The previous fall, he had to suspend his Thursday services due to an uptick “in violence and aggression, and a decline in civility.”

“Increasing age and decreasing civility in the community are a perfect recipe for burnout,” Baumgarten said.

“As I’ve always said, 99.96% of my customers are a delight,” he added. “But the remaining fraction has become sufficiently insufferable to overshadow the rest.” 

Dodgers Defeat The Defending Champion Chicago Cubs In NLCS

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs 11-1 in game five of the NLCS, pushing the Dodgers into the World Series. It was their first appearance in the World Series since 1988. 

The Dodgers met the Houston Astros and lost the series in seven games. 

Fast forward to 2024, and the Dodgers are again in the NLCS this time taking on the Mets.

Formula One Driver Lewis Hamilton Becomes a Four-Time World Champion 

After a far-from-memorable ninth-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton, the lead driver for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, accumulated enough points to guarantee the 2017 FIA Driver World Championship. 

Through the early portion of the 2017 season, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton were neck-and-neck in points but by October, Hamilton pulled away in points for what would become his fourth of seven world championships.