Just four days before the inaugural College Football Playoff begins, ESPN Films will debut a special 30-minute documentary shedding light on the controversy that enveloped President Nixon and the 1969 college football season. "Nixon's National Champs" premieres Sunday, Dec. 28 at 10:30 p.m. and examines the president's decision to name Texas the national champion, overlooking an 11-0 Penn State squad.
With the NCAA sanctions limiting the Penn State football to 65 scholarships to begin the season -- 20 fewer than the standard allotment of 85 -- first-year head coach James Franklin was forced to compete in one of the nation's top conferences with one hand tied behind his back, Now, after a full season of injuries and redshirts, only 41 scholarship players remain on the available roster.
The Penn State women's volleyball team won an NCAA record seventh national championship over the weekend. Head coach Russ Rose is known for being all business, but his squad managed to have some fun on the championship run. Joined by the cheerleading team and the Penn State Volleyball Pep Band, the women's volleyball team performed a music video set to Taylor Swift's popular single "Blank Space" as it documented the journey to the top.
The Nittany Lions shot 46.9 percent from the field and drilled seven three-pointers en route to a 69-49 victory over Dartmouth. With the win, Penn State notched its 12th victory of the year (and 10th in a row), a Nittany Lion record for most non-conference wins in a single season as the team reached 12-1.
State College was ranked the second best college town in the U.S., with an emphasis on affordability and economic opportunities.
In the first home overtime game for the Lady Lions since February 2010, Penn State fell short to South Florida by a 90-87 score despite Lindsey Spann's career-high 28 points. The back-and-forth contest saw 16 ties and 16 lead changes after halftime alone, including a jumper from Spann with seconds to play that sent the game to extra time.