If nothing else, Penn State’s 2024 football season hasn’t been predictable.
The Nittany Lions entered the year with lofty expectations, with a preseason No. 9 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll and bolstered by the promise of a 12-team College Football Playoff and Big Ten expansion no longer forcing them to play both Ohio State and Michigan every year.
James Franklin and his team opened up the season emphatically, going on the road to pummel West Virginia 34-12 in a game in which the Mountaineers were a trendy upset pick. After a shaky sophomore season, Drew Allar impressed in his first game with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, throwing for 216 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 passes.
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One week later, however, Penn State trailed Bowling Green by four at halftime of a home game the Nittany Lions were favored to win by five touchdowns before they eventually pulled away for a narrow 34-27 victory.
At this early juncture in the season, it will take more games and a larger sample size to get a better idea of which version of Penn State is closer to its true self — the one that throttled a motivated Power Four opponent in a hostile road environment or one that struggled to put away a Mid-American Conference program that hasn’t won more than seven games in a season in nearly a decade?
Will that question start to be answered this week? Here’s what you need to know about Penn State and its schedule for Week 3 of the college football season:
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Does Penn State play today?
The Nittany Lions will not be playing Saturday, with Week 3 of the season standing as one of their designated bye weeks.
The break comes at an unusually early point in the season, but with the expanded playoff and the reconfigured schedule it birthed, teams now have two bye weeks.
Their second bye will come during Week 8 of the season, between their October 12 game at No. 11 USC and its October 26 matchup at Wisconsin.
Penn State returns to action Saturday, September 21 with a meeting against Kent State at Beaver Stadium.
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Penn State football schedule 2024
Here’s a look at the Nittany Lions’ full 2024 football schedule, including dates, times and television designations:
All times Eastern.
- Saturday, Aug. 31: at West Virginia (W, 34-12)
- Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Bowling Green (W, 34-27)
- Saturday, Sept. 14: BYE
- Saturday, Sept. 21: Penn State vs. Kent State | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
- Saturday, Sept. 28: Penn State vs. Illinois*
- Saturday, Oct. 5: Penn State vs. UCLA*
- Saturday, Oct. 12: Penn State at No. 11 USC*
- Saturday, Oct. 19: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 26: Penn State at Wisconsin*
- Saturday, Nov. 2: Penn State vs. No. 2 Ohio State*
- Saturday, Nov. 9: Penn State vs. Washington*
- Saturday, Nov. 16: Penn State at Purdue*
- Saturday, Nov. 23: Penn State at Minnesota*
- Saturday, Nov. 30: Penn State vs. Maryland*
* Denotes Big Ten game
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