Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
P R E V I E W Curtis Chan A year ago, it was the road games that had so many Penn State fans intrigued: a season-opening visit to the Linc to face Temple, and trips to Columbus and East Lansing where the Nittany Lions were set to face the Big Ten's most imposing teams. This year, the script has flipped. Yes, there's a nonconference road trip to Pitt that will likely have major ramifications on the field and off, and there's also a visit to the Big House to open the con- ference season, as well as a late-season trip to once-and-future Eastern rival Rutgers. But the highlight for many is likely to be the home slate. It's a block- buster. For the first time ever, Penn State will play host to five Big Ten teams. The con- ference is playing a nine-game schedule for the first time since 1984, with East Division teams hosting five home games in even-numbered years and West Divi- sion teams doing likewise in odd-num- bered years. The scheduling change means that Penn State's home slate is loaded this season. Two of the five Big Ten teams that will visit Beaver Stadium (Ohio State and Iowa) played in BCS games last year, and another (Michigan State) made the College Football Playoff. Those teams will be without some of their marquee players, such as Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa and Connor Cook, but given their recent history, it's not difficult to imagine them vying yet again for the East Division championship. Also on tap are games vs. Minnesota and Maryland. The former went bowling last year, while the latter gave Penn State all it could handle in Baltimore. The nonconference slate also has its enticements. Season-opening oppo- nent Kent State, while coming off a dis- appointing three-win season, has a de- fense that should challenge Penn State's rebuilt offense. Also, the Lions will be more eager than usual to play host to in-state rival Temple, given what happened in Philadelphia last year. The Owls routed Penn State in the teams' season opener, 27-10, and they used that victory as a springboard to a breakthrough season, going 10-4 over- all and 7-1 in the American Athletic Conference. The rematch with Temple will take place the week after Penn State's much- anticipated visit to Pitt, and those two games will give it a chance to reassert it- self as Pennsylvania's pre-eminent foot- ball program. The road to the top of the Keystone State football hierarchy may lead through some other places in addi- tion to University Park, but there is go- ing to be a lot of traffic headed into cen- tral Pennsylvania this fall, and a lot of it will be sporting out-of-state plates. ■ NO PLACE LIKE HOME Beaver Stadium will play host to some of the Big Ten's best this fall T H E S C H E D U L E |