Penn State football schedule analysis: What teams will the Lions play in revamped Big Ten slate?

May 2024 · 4 minute read

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — With the next wave of Big Ten expansion up us — this time to include Oregon and Washington — the conference announced each team’s future opponents on Thursday.

Wait, didn’t we just do this in June?

Yes, but forget about those opponents and locations because that was released before the newest of the newcomers were set to join the Big Ten. So, we’re doing this all again and hopefully for the last time. Maybe.

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Starting next year, the 18-team Big Ten will not have divisions. The teams with the best conference records at the end of the season — after playing a nine-game conference schedule — will meet in the Big Ten Championship Game. Details on tie-breaking procedures will come at a later date.

Keep in mind these are Penn State’s opponents and not a schedule. Times, dates and TV announcements for these future games will come at a later date.

🏈 The #B1G Announces 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟴 Future Football Schedule Formats

🚨 Check it out below 👇https://t.co/EXbVy0FiuL

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 5, 2023

Who will Penn State play?

2024 opponents

Home games: Illinois, Maryland, Ohio State, UCLA, Washington
Away games: Minnesota, USC, Purdue, Wisconsin

2025 opponents

Home games: Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon
Away games: Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA

2026 opponents

Home games: Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, USC, Wisconsin
Away games: Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, Washington

2027 opponents

Home games: Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Washington
Away games: Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, Purdue, Wisconsin

2028 opponents

Home games: Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA
Away games: Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, USC

Here are some thoughts on the new schedules:

• Penn State, just like in the previous announcement of future opponents, still does not have a protected rivalry game. There’s no one team that the Nittany Lions will play every year. Penn State has been fine with this all along, and it makes sense since nothing has materialized rivalry-wise since it joined the Big Ten in 1993 — at least not enough that it would need to be a protected game.

No, the Land Grant Trophy game will not be played every year moving forward and neither will Penn State-Ohio State.

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The 12 games that are protected: Illinois-Northwestern, Illinois-Purdue, Indiana-Purdue, Iowa-Minnesota, Iowa-Nebraska, Iowa-Wisconsin, Maryland-Rutgers, Michigan-Michigan State, Michigan-Ohio State, Minnesota-Wisconsin, Oregon-Washington and USC-UCLA.

• While Penn State won’t play Ohio State every year, it will still see plenty of the Buckeyes moving forward. Ohio State is on Penn State’s schedule in 2024 (in Beaver Stadium), 2025 (in Columbus) and 2028 (in Beaver Stadium). In 2026 and 2027, when Penn State doesn’t play Ohio State, it plays Michigan. From a fair and balanced perspective, this is a nice change. But with the additions of USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon, these schedules will be highly competitive.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

The complicated logistics behind Penn State’s cross-country treks to USC, UCLA

• On the original list of future opponents, USC was scheduled to come to Beaver Stadium next season. However, Penn State is now making the cross-country trek to play the Trojans in 2024. With four opponents on the opposite side of the country, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The cross-country travel for Penn State essentially comes down to one long trip per year. Penn State will travel to USC in 2024 and to UCLA in 2025. In 2026, the Nittany Lions travel to Washington and head to Oregon in 2027. In 2028, they go to USC and to Nebraska.

• Maybe Penn State fans are just never meant to cross Nebraska off their stadium bucket lists? In one of the quirkiest parts of the schedule, Penn State will next play at Nebraska in 2028. Penn State has played in Lincoln just twice since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011, and one of those games, in 2020, didn’t include fans. Nebraska’s trip to Beaver Stadium in 2025 marks the fourth time it’s played here in that same span.

• Penn State’s path to a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff in 2024 might’ve gotten a little harder with this new schedule.

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The original opponents were:

Home: Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, USC
Away: Indiana, PurdueRutgers, Wisconsin

Now, it’s…

Home: Illinois, Maryland, Ohio State, UCLA, Washington
Away: Minnesota, USC, Purdue, Wisconsin

(Photo of James Franklin: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)

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