STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- An unparalleled excitement has gripped Happy Valley this week. Whether it's in classrooms or bars, on sidewalks or buses, there's no escaping fans' fervor.

On Sunday morning, a man sipping from a blue mug shouted to passers-by in front of his State College home: "How about them Nittany Lions?"

At a gas station just off campus, an employee debated with a barrel-chested customer about how much this offense has improved under coordinator Joe Moorhead. ("He's a great guy," the customer said. "He has dogs.")

And at a sports bar earlier this week, a group of plaid-wearing 20-somethings spiritedly discussed the merits of handing the Nittany Lions a College Football Playoff spot over No. 2 Ohio State.

When Penn State stood at 2-2, students here literally had a better shot at winning Pennsylvania's PICK 3 lottery (0.1 percent) than watching their Nittany Lions win the Big Ten championship (0.09 percent, according to FPI). Maybe that's why so many fans are milling around downtown with goofy smiles -- it feels like they've just hit the jackpot.

"Ah man, it's been crazy," linebacker Jason Cabinda said. "I don't remember the last time I've seen Happy Valley this happy. There's just a buzz around the whole community."

Penn State fans can't stop smiling at the Nittany Lions' success. Students lined up for tickets for the Big Ten title game on Saturday night, 33 hours before they went on sale. "It was cold," said freshman Bryce Johnson, "but it was worth it." Courtesy of Penn State athletics

This community hasn't had a lot to cheer about the past four years. There have been plenty of moral victories and even a celebration once the Jerry Sandusky-related sanctions were rolled back in 2014. But entering this season, Penn State still hadn't won double-digit games since 2008, it hadn't beaten a top-10 team in eight years and it hadn't won an outright Big Ten title since 1994.

No matter what happens Saturday night, when the No. 7 Nittany Lions take on No. 6 Wisconsin for the conference championship, this team has overachieved. In the past two months, four years' worth of anger, disappointment and frustration have given way to unbridled ecstasy.

"If you look back toward the end of September, everyone was just down in the gutter," said senior Sara Butcher, the president of Nittanyville, the student tent-city outside Gate A. "No one really knew what was going to come from this team; no one knew if [coach James] Franklin was even going to keep his job.

"And you look forward now, three months, finals are coming up -- and no one seems to mind. This is something that's never happened before. It's something everyone wants to be a part of."

A healthy majority of the 97,418 fans in attendance last Saturday hung back after Penn State clinched the Big Ten East. The remaining fans swayed and sang along to the alma mater before the team accepted the division trophy. That excitement hasn't dwindled as the week has progressed.

Some students bobbed their heads Tuesday, when the Blue Band marched through the HUB-Robeson Center, the centralized campus hangout, while blaring the fight song. Tickets for the Big Ten title game, set aside for the alumni association, sold out in 15 minutes. (Penn State's entire allotment of 10,000 tickets sold out by noon Monday.) And Penn State's student government was forced to increase student transportation to the game from three buses to 10 -- and then 15. Every spot filled up by Tuesday night.

What they're saying at Penn State "There's just no words to describe this. This is everyone's dream. Everyone wants to see their team in a championship and, for this to happen my senior year, there are no words to describe it. I've been coming here since I could walk, and I'm just so happy."

-- Sara Butcher, president of student tent-city "Nittanyville" "I know the line for the tickets was damn near off-campus. ... Our fans have been through a lot and, for them to kind of see us having the success we're having this season, they deserve it just as much as we do."

-- Mike Gesicki, Penn State tight end "It's been a long time since we've had a football team like this. This is just huge for the community. We've been waiting for this for a long time."

-- Bryce Johnson, Penn State student and camper "The atmosphere has been a bit different. ... I feel everyone is a lot more happy, a lot more excited for us and looking forward to what we're going to do."

-- Ryan Bates, Penn State offensive lineman

State College is a small borough made up of about 42,000 residents and 46,000 undergrads -- but everyone, it seems, is relishing in the Nittany Lions' remarkable run. There have been seasons with similar records before, sure. But there hasn't been a year like this in maybe half a century.

In 2008, when the Nittany Lions made the Rose Bowl, Penn State was ranked No. 22 in the preseason. In 2005, during their Orange Bowl run, the Lions began 5-0 before a mild upset over a higher-ranked Ohio State. You have to go all the way back to 1967 to find a season when Penn State started unranked, lost two of its first four games and then finished in the top 10.

"Yeah, there's a huge buzz going around right now. ... You see it walking around campus. People that I have never met in my life will say, 'Hey, great game,' that kind of thing," Penn State defensive end Evan Schwan said. "I'm very, very appreciative of them supporting us throughout this entire ride."

It hasn't always been the smoothest ride, though. Even the most diehard Penn State fan had to harbor some doubts in September, when the Nittany Lions were struggling and some were calling for Franklin to be fired. Former players weren't happy, either. It was so bad Penn State AD Sandy Barbour had to come out and defend Franklin, saying she believed he was the long-term answer for the program. That's, in part, what makes this week -- and this excitement -- so unique. This community has remained in a perpetual state of shock, as if it wants to turn its head and constantly ask, "Can you believe this?"

That's the driving force behind the buzz and anticipation this week. And Happy Valley can't help but embrace its good fortune.

During Penn State's basketball game against Georgia Tech, hundreds of fans poured through a line to snap photos with the football team's Big Ten East trophy. One said it was his first basketball game in five years.

Outside of the ticket office at the Bryce Jordan Center, students started lining up for Big Ten championship game tickets on Saturday night -- 33 hours before tickets went on sale.

More than 150 tents sprang up outside the BJC, with members of Nittanyville dubbing the gathering "Indyville." Some students -- like freshman Bryce Johnson -- didn't have a tent and simply played football and Frisbee to stay warm. Johnson waited outside for about 12 hours before buying tickets at 7 a.m. Monday.

"It was cold," Johnson said, "but it was worth it."

Penn State defensive end Shane Simmons passed out breakfast sandwiches to students who camped out for Big Ten title game tickets. "I've worked at a lot of different places," said PSU coach James Franklin, "but I've never seen anything like that." Courtesy of Penn State athletics

One student strummed a guitar while his friends sang along with Tom Petty tunes. Others chanted "We Are," while others echoed, "Penn State." And various sports teams stopped by to offer food and knick-knacks. Even the football team -- Franklin included -- stopped by with breakfast sandwiches and donuts.

"I've worked at a lot of different places," said Franklin, who's now on his 11th coaching stop, "but I've never seen anything like that."

It has been said this week that, over the past few years, the conversation in Happy Valley centered on what Penn State was. Now, it's about what Penn State is.

And what it is now -- with smiles and singing, surprise and euphoria -- is a happy Happy Valley.