12. Kent State (Sept. 21, Home)
The Golden Flashes do not have much history to begin with, but they have especially fallen on hard times following the departure of former head coach Sean Lewis. Kent State might be the worst team in FBS this fall, and I would even pick any FCS programs who have sniffed the playoffs in recent years.
HOME GAME THEME: Military Appreciation Day
11. Purdue (Nov. 16, Away)
The Boilermakers are in a similar position as Kent State as they try to rebuild a program that has consistently been close of the conference standings. It feels as though they could be one of the programs left behind in a new age of college football, and the elimination of the divisions in the Big Ten just about removes any chance to compete for a conference crown any time soon. This game follows a stretch of marquee games for the Nittany Lions in a contest that seems destined for a noon kickoff on BTN.
10. Bowling Green (Sept. 7, Noon, Home)
Don’t let their MAC status fool you - Bowling Green is a quality team that has enjoyed upsets over Minnesota and Georgia Tech during the past three years. While Penn State may not be able to simply show up and walk all over the Falcons, they should be able to outclass and pull ahead by halftime unless something goes terribly wrong that afternoon.
HOME GAME THEME: THON Game; Youth Sports & Spirit Day; 107K Family Reunion; Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day
9. Maryland (Nov. 30, Home)
For a program that saw Penn State as a rival, the Terps seem to usually play its worst game of the season against the Nittany Lions. Penn State has dominated the Terps by scores of 66-3, 38-3, 59-0, 30-0, and are coming off a 51-15 romp late last season. This is the regular season finale, so hopefully Penn State is playing for a playoff spot the weekend following Thanksgiving.
8. Illinois (Sat., Sept. 28, Away)
Penn State’s Big Ten opener may not get much national attention, but Illinois is still a team that can’t be taken lightly. They probably won’t sniff a Big Ten title this year, but they are a physical team that won’t be pushed around easily. The Nittany Lions should be in good shape, but a slow start and a handful of mistakes could really cost them against this team.
HOME GAME THEME: Homecoming
7. Minnesota (Nov. 23, Away)
P.J. Fleck seemed to have the Gophers expecting 8 to 10 wins per season before slipping to 5-7 last year. However, that could prove to be a blip in the radar if they can get more out of the quarterback position and get the running game back on track. They could be a tough opponent late in the year following a demanding stretch of the season, and the elements could make for an interesting game by late November in Minnesota.
6. UCLA
The Bruins are going through a major rebuilding just as they join the Big Ten. Former head coach Chip Kelly left to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, while defensive coordinator and former Nittany Lion D’Anton Lynn left for the same position with USC. However, the visual aspect of this game is off the charts. Penn State and UCLA meeting in front of a stripe out crowd, the white and gold helmets clashing, the shades of navy blue and baby blue colliding...yes, please. This visually striking game will certainly be a sight to behold.
HOME GAME THEME: Penn State Stripe Out; All-U Day
5. West Virginia (Aug. 31, Away)
Penn State heads to Morgantown to kick off the season in what should be a tremendous atmosphere, even if it is a noon kick. The Mountaineers might be the nation’s most underappreciated team as they come off a surprise nine-win season afger being picked to finish dead last in the Big 12. They found ways to win by being a smart, tough team under Neal Brown, and will enter the season with a rather large chip on their shoulder.
4. USC (Oct. 12, Away)
We’ll learn a bit about the Trojans by the time Penn State visits them in mid-October. They have serious talent sprinkled throughout the roster, but need to make major improvements on the offensive line, as well as the entire defense that often seemed like they didn’t want to be on the field last fall. Regardless of how they start, there will be plenty of eyeballs and excitement over these two programs meeting on the field during as conference mates, especially with the recent history in two Rose Bowls where USC came out on top both times.
3. Wisconsin (Oct. 26, Away)
The Badgers should see improvement in year two under Luke Fickell, making for a challenging road trip to Madison where you can always expect a raucous environment. This game also comes at a crucial stretch for the Nittany Lions, sandwhiched between a road trip to USC and a week prior to a showdown with Ohio State. The logical part of me wants a noon kick, although it’s not hard to admit a prime time battle under the lights of Camp Randall would make for prime viewing.
2. Washington (Nov. 9, Home)
This game could have major playoff implications for Penn State, depending how they fare in the @USC-@Wisconsin-Ohio State gauntlet leading up to this week. Oh, it’s also the white out against a new conference foe that just happened to play for anational championship a few months ago. The Huskies will be without all of their key players and nearly all 22 starters from that squad following an exodus to the NFL, with a few following Kalen DeBoer to ‘Bama. This will be quite the welcome to Happy Valley for the Huskies as their first time as a Big Ten member.
HOME GAME THEME: Whiteout
And at #1...Ohio State (Nov. 2, Home)
Once again, this game will have major ramifications on the Big Ten and playoff chase, especially this late into the season. Unfortunately, we are all well-aware of the all-too-familiar script this series has been following — the coaches put together a gameplan to compete with the Buckeyes, the players play their tails off to give them a solid chance of victory, and then Ohio State makes a couple game-changing plays to pull away with a double-digit victory. Penn State has done so much to catch up with Ohio State during the past decade under James Franklin — now, they just need to go out and make the key plays that finally put the difference in their favor. It has to happen one of these years, right? Why not this one?
HOME GAME THEME: Helmet Stripe (aka the sneaky bonus Whiteout)
