NEW YORK -- NCAA president Mark Emmert praised Penn State's success in football this season and said the university's response to historic NCAA sanctions five years ago expedited the program's recovery.
Speaking Wednesday at the Learfield Sports Intercollegiate Athletics Forum, Emmert called Penn State's season "spectacular" and said the team's run to a Big Ten championship is "great for those young men and that fan base."
Penn State went 11-2 and won its first conference title since 1994. The Nittany Lions finished No. 5 in the final selection committee rankings and will play USC in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual.