2016 doesn’t sound that long ago, but a lot has happened since Penn State football last made it to the Big Ten Championship.

With the Nittany Lions returning to Lucas Oil Stadium after defeating Wisconsin in 2016, a lot’s changed in State College, and the world, that would have sent those in 2016 into a spiral. From a global pandemic that shut down most parts of the world to Beyonce’s pregnancy announcement, the past eight years have felt like a lifetime.

Oregon (& Friends) Joins The Big Ten

It’s hard to overlook that this Big Ten Championship is Oregon’s first, and it’s Oregon’s first championship game because the Ducks just finished their first Big Ten regular season.

Alongside USC, UCLA, and Washington, Oregon made a splash into the conference this year and changed how college football looks, probably forever.

Eagles Super Bowl Win

Arguably the most important event that’s come out of the last eight years is the momentous victory of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2018 Super Bowl against the Patriots. With a hard-fought game, the Eagles sealed a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots and had one of the most electric Super Bowl parades. With Jason Kelce dressing up in a Mummer’s outfit to celebrate his victory, the win electrified the city of Philadelphia and State College with the Eagles’ first-ever Super Bowl win.

COVID-19

Who could’ve predicted this? In the past eight years, half of them were spent in lockdown and isolation over the infectious virus COVID-19 that first emerged in 2019 in Wuhan, China. Due to the global shutdown, a lot of events, such as the Olympic Games and NBA finals, had to be adjusted or postponed. Although COVID-19 emerged over five years ago, it’s still affected many facets of society with mandatory isolation and masking zones.

Beaver Stadium Renovations

This one was needed. Recently, the Penn State Board of Trustees approved a $700 million renovation plan that will “enable year-round use of Beaver Stadium, further driving economic growth and development in the surrounding region,” the university said in a release.

Birth Of TikTok

While many think TikTok emerged in 2016, the official name TikTok was not added until the Chinese company Bytedance bought Music.ly and converted it to TikTok in 2017. Since then, TikTok has amassed over 1.5 billion active users and has become a dominant part of mainstream society and trends.

New THON Milestones

In just the past three years, THON has set multiple fundraising records. THON raised $10,683,078.62 in 2021, $13,756,374.50 in 2022, $15,006,132.46 in 2023, and set an all-time fundraising record with $16,955,683.63 raised in 2024.

The almost $2 million jump from 2021 to 2024 is the largest jump in fundraising history since the early 2000s.

First Image Of A Black Hole

In April 2019, the world got the first-ever picture of a black hole. Dr. Katie Bouman made the historical discovery with the use of the Event Horizon Telescope, which used eight linked telescopes to take the monumental photo. Although the black hole can’t be seen due to its dark nature, the light surrounding the hole casts an outline for the hole to be noticeable.

Stephen Nedoroscik Takes Center Stage

Stephen Nedoroscik became America’s sweetheart with his appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Penn State alumnus made history by helping the USA Men’s Gymnastics team seal a bronze medal victory for the first time in 15 years. Nedoroscik also made history for being the first Penn Stater to appear on “Dancing With The Stars” and earned fourth place.