Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
5 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M E D I T O R I A L MATT HERB MATT.HERB@ON3.COM VARSITY VIEWS O ne of the perks of playing in college football's wealthiest conference is that the opponents come to you. This year, 10 Big Ten teams will play their entire noncon- ference schedule at home. Between them, the league's 18 teams will leave campus for only eight games, and one of those contests — Wisconsin's season opener against Notre Dame — took place at Green Bay's storied Lambeau Field, which is just 145 miles from Madison. Historically, Penn State has often been one of those teams that stays home for the duration. This year, however, the Lions bused to Philadelphia in Week 2 to face Temple, and Matt Campbell sounded grateful for the opportunity to take his show on the road before the Big Ten campaign arrives. "Great teams play great on the road," Campbell said. "That's just how it goes." Whether the Nittany Lions are a great team is a question for another day, but if they're going to get anywhere near the College Football Playoff, they will have to play well in some tough environ- ments. Say what you will about the supposed ease of their schedule this year, the Lions' travel itinerary poses some real obstacles, starting with the Big Ten road opener at Northwestern on Oct. 2. PSU might have hoped to face the Wildcats in their temporary stadium, which has an official capacity of 12,023. It would have been a fun callback to high school for a lot of players, and the facility's size would have minimized whatever home-field advantage North- western might have hoped to enjoy. No such luck. The Lions will instead face the Wildcats on opening night of new Ryan Field. With a capacity of 35,000, it'll be the smallest stadium in the Big Ten, but as anyone who ever watched a Penn State men's basketball game at Rec Hall can attest, proximity can do as much as capacity to create a hostile environment. During a recent appearance on WGN News in Chicago, Northwestern trustee and athletics do- nor Pat Ryan Jr. said the project's archi- tects set out to create a claustrophobic environment. "Every seat is closer to the action than any stadium in college football or the NFL," he said. "It's actually as intimate as a basketball arena, but twice the size." It'll be rocking on opening night. Ryan said the nationally televised Friday night clash "will be like our mini ver- sion of the Super Bowl." Penn State may be equipped to spoil the party, but it's going to be a different kind of challenge than if the game had taken place on a Saturday afternoon in a facility that's dwarfed by Allentown Central Catho- lic's home field. The Lions will also visit a new-to- them facility when they step into Husky Stadium in Seattle for a Nov. 7 game against Washington. The last time Penn State visited Se- attle — in 1921 — they took a train. The logistics of cross-country travel have significantly improved since then, but not to the point where there are no lin- gering effects on visiting teams. Ever since the admission of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten, teams jumping three time zones have had their share of prob- lems. Penn State has done it twice so far and has gotten off to terrible starts both times. The Lions trailed 20-6 at halftime of their game at USC in 2024. Then last year, they spotted UCLA a 27-7 lead in the game's first 30 minutes. PSU pulled out of its funk just in time to stun the Tro- jans, 33-30 in overtime, but it wasn't so fortunate at the Rose Bowl, falling to the Bruins, 42-37. We don't know the kickoff time for this year's game at Washington, and that will have a bearing on whether the three-hour time difference ends up being a factor in the outcome. But recent history suggests the Lions should be wary. In between the Washington and Northwestern games is an Oct. 17 trip to Ann Arbor, about which little needs to be said. Penn State is 4-9 all-time at the Big House, and its four losses during the James Franklin era were by a combined margin of 150-47. Regard- less of what's happening with their quarterbacks, the Wolverines will be a handful. This year's other road venue is Mary- land, which has been much friendlier to the Lions over the years. They've gone 16-1 in College Park, and many of those wins have been by absurdly lopsided margins. From 2017 to 2023, Franklin's teams outscored the Terps 207-32 on their home field. By the time the Lions visit Maryland on Nov. 28, we'll have a much better idea whether they're good, great, me- diocre or something in between. Their upcoming road trips will go a long way toward answering that question. ■ Road Tests Await The Nittany Lions This Fall Penn State will be the opponent when Northwestern opens its new stadium on Oct. 2. PHOTO COURTESY NORTHWESTERN ATHLETICS