STATE COLLEGE — Penn State is headed to the Outback Bowl, giving injured coach Joe Paterno another reason to get better from leg surgery.

The Nittany Lions (8-4, 5-3 Big Ten) accepted a bid Tuesday to the Jan. 1 game in Tampa, Fla., where they will play a still-to-be-determined opponent from the Southeastern Conference.

It will mark the first back-to-back bowl appearances for Penn State since the 1998 and '99 seasons. The Nittany Lions, who beat Florida State in the Orange Bowl last season, last went to the Outback Bowl to cap the 1998 campaign, defeating Kentucky 26-14. Penn State shut out Texas A&M 24-0 in the 1999 Alamo Bowl.

"This team has worked hard all season and has been a great group to work with," Paterno said in a statement. "I'm happy for the squad that their efforts will be rewarded with an opportunity to go to Tampa."

Athletic director Tim Curley said in a conference call that he anticipates the recuperating Paterno to join the players for his 33rd bowl game. The 79-year-old coach is the career leader in postseason coaching appearances and wins (21).

It's still unclear, though, exactly where JoePa will be inside Raymond James Stadium for this year's Outback Bowl.

Two players leveled Paterno in an ugly sideline collision on Nov. 4 at Wisconsin, and the coach had surgery the next day to fix a broken shinbone and two torn knee ligaments in his left leg.

Team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli has ordered the feisty Paterno to stay off his feet for another month or so, though he left open the possibility that Paterno could call the shots from a golf cart along the sidelines if his recovery is progressing.

"Rehab is going well," said Curley, who spoke to Paterno on Tuesday. "Everything is moving in the right direction."

Paterno skipped the Nov. 11 game against Temple but returned to a Beaver Stadium press box last weekend to catch the Nittany Lions as they squeaked out a 17-13 win over Michigan State in the regular-season finale.

That win sealed Penn State's trip to Tampa, Outback Bowl president Jim McVay said.

"They are a tradition-rich program," he said. "They are one of the elite college football programs in the country. ... Of course, Joe Paterno brings his special aura that only Coach Paterno has."