Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511150
1 2 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State learned on Oct. 4 who it would play in the Big Ten during the 2024 season. Four weeks later, the Nittany Lions and their followers learned when those contests will take place. Marquee home conference games for the Nittany Lions in- clude visits from UCLA, Ohio State and Washington. The top road trips for head coach James Franklin's team during league play include stops at USC and Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions will start the season in Morgantown against West Virginia. Thoughts on the 2024 Penn State schedule: • Illinois traveling to Beaver Stadium on Sept. 28 ends an eight-year streak in which Penn State started conference play on the road. • The Nittany Lions will see the two California schools early in the year, with UCLA traveling to State College on Oct. 5 and Penn State heading to Los Angeles the following week to battle USC on Oct. 12. The Bruins have not played in State Col- lege since 1967, and Penn State hasn't faced the Trojans in the LA Memorial Coliseum since 1991. • The beginning of November will be a critical stretch for the Nittany Lions, dur- ing which they will play host to Ohio State on Nov. 2 and Washington on Nov. 9. The Huskies will be making their first appear- ance in Beaver Stadium. Washington and Penn State have played only three times over the years: twice in bowl games and once in Seattle during the 1921 season (a 21-7 PSU victory). • Following the UCLA game, Penn State won't play at home again until facing Ohio State in early November. In addition to the game at USC and the season's second bye week, which is slated for Oct. 19, the Nittany Lions have a road contest against Wisconsin on Oct. 26. • Penn State has no protected opponents. It is the only Big Ten school to hold that distinction, and as a result, current East Division rivals Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers, Indiana and Maryland will no lon- ger appear on the schedule annually. The divisions themselves are also disappearing after the 2023 season. Penn State athletics director Patrick Kraft said in July that Penn State wasn't bothered by the lack of protected rivalry games. "The conference handles all the sched- uling," he said. "James and I laughed [and said], 'Well, we really are unrivaled. We say it.' "It gets to be a little bit of a political thing, a push and pull, but it is what it is," Kraft added. "We'll play whoever. We don't get to dictate schedules, and it shouldn't be that way. We'll line up and play anybody and move on." ■ Visits From Ohio State, Washington, UCLA Highlight 2024 Slate G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Populous Enlisted To Design Beaver Stadium's New Look Penn State has picked a familiar partner, Populous, to design Beaver Stadium's up- coming renovation. The Kansas City-based firm has performed plenty of work for PSU over the years, including the stadium's 2001 expansion and the Facilities Master Plan that was unveiled in 2017 and featured a remodeled version of the football program's home field. As outlined on the website of Penn State's Office of Physical Plant, the project will "focus on the west side of the stadium to provide improved access for broadcasting, greatly improved circulation, new restrooms, upgraded concession offerings and much- needed premium seating. "Improvements to the rest of the stadium are also planned, such as improved vertical circulation, upgraded concourses, circulation renovations to enhance accessibility, rest- room additions, and upgraded concession quality and capacity. Field lighting improve- ments to meet NCAA standards are also planned. The capacity of Beaver Stadium will be at greater than 100,000 spectators." When the project was presented to Penn State's board of trustees in May for ap- proval, the total cost was estimated to be as much as $700 million. The proposed timeline had construction beginning after the 2024 season and continuing in phases through the 2025 and '26 seasons, with completion expected just ahead of the Nittany Lions' 2027 campaign. — Greg Pickel 2024 PENN STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Aug. 31 at West Virginia Sept. 7 Bowling Green Sept. 14 BYE Sept. 21 Kent State Sept. 28 Illinois Oct. 5 UCLA Oct. 12 at USC Oct. 19 BYE Oct. 26 at Wisconsin Nov. 2 Ohio State Nov. 9 Washington Nov. 16 at Purdue Nov. 23 at Minnesota Nov. 30 Maryland Penn State's 63-year-old home field will be renovated in phases, with con- struction expected to begin following the 2024 season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL