1981 Penn State football

Penn State went 10–2 in 1981 under Joe Paterno, outscoring its opponents 371 to 162, and beat USC 26–10 in its bowl game.

1981 Penn State football, every game

Date	Game	Result	Score
Sep 12, 1981	No. 9 Penn State vsCincinnati	W	52–0
Sep 26, 1981	No. 3 Penn State @No. 15 Nebraska	W	30–24
Oct 3, 1981	No. 2 Penn State vsTemple	W	30–0
Oct 10, 1981	No. 2 Penn State vsBoston College	W	38–7
Oct 17, 1981	No. 2 Penn State @Syracuse	W	41–16
Oct 24, 1981	No. 1 Penn State vsWest Virginia	W	30–7
Oct 31, 1981	No. 1 Penn State @Miami (FL)	L	14–17
Nov 7, 1981	No. 6 Penn State @NC State	W	22–15
Nov 14, 1981	No. 5 Penn State vsNo. 6 Alabama	L	16–31
Nov 21, 1981	No. 13 Penn State vsNotre Dame	W	24–21
Nov 28, 1981	No. 11 Penn State @No. 1 Pittsburgh	W	48–14
Jan 1, 1982	No. 7 Penn State vsNo. 8 USC · neutral · bowl	W	26–10

A number before a team is its AP rank going into the game.