Penn State’s trip to Michigan next Saturday has a network home now, and it comes with a familiar CBS spotlight.
The Nittany Lions and Wolverines will be on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ for the Oct. 17 meeting in Ann Arbor, the network announced Sunday. Kickoff remains set for 3:30 p.m.
ET. Michigan Stadium is sold out for the game, which also doubles as the Wolverines’ homecoming.
For Penn State, it will be the program’s first appearance on CBS. Michigan will be on the network for the second time. It’s also the second 3:30 p.m. kickoff for the Nittany Lions and the third for the Wolverines.
CBS is branding that window as “B1G Time,” and the broadcast team will feature Brad Nessler on play-by-play, Charles Davis as analyst and Jenny Dell on the sideline.
Both teams enter the matchup trying to stop the bleeding. Penn State heads to Ann Arbor on a three-game skid after Saturday night’s 31-23 loss to No.
19 USC in the White Out. Michigan didn’t play Saturday, but the Wolverines have dropped consecutive Big Ten games to Minnesota and Iowa.
The schools met last in 2023, when then-acting head coach Sherrone Moore led Michigan to a 24-15 win at Beaver Stadium with Jim Harbaugh suspended. Michigan went on to win the national championship.
This will be Penn State’s first game at the Big House since 2022, when Michigan rolled to a 41-17 win in a nationally televised matchup. In that game, the Wolverines piled up 418 rushing yards behind Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.
Penn State has now lost three straight to Michigan since beating the Wolverines 27-17 in Ann Arbor in 2020.
Michigan is in its first season under coach Kyle Whittingham, who spent the previous 22 years at Utah. Penn State, meanwhile, is in its first year under coach Matt Campbell, who spent a decade at Iowa State.
Penn State’s remaining schedule: SEPT. 5: MARSHALL, 3:30 p.m., FS1 (Stripe Out) - W, 45-0
SEPT. 12: @ Temple, Noon, ESPN2 - W, 27-9
SEPT. 19: BUFFALO, Noon, BTN (THON Game) - W, 55-13
SEPT. 26: WISCONSIN, 5 p.m., Peacock (Homecoming & Helmet Stripe) - L, 24-20
OCT. 2*: @ Northwestern, 8 p.m., FOX - L, 34-13
OCT. 10: USC, 7:30 p.m., NBC (White Out) - L, 31-23
OCT. 17: @ Michigan, 3:30 p.m., CBS
OCT. 24: BYE
OCT. 31: PURDUE, TBA, TBA (All-U Day)
NOV. 7: @ Washington, TBA, TBA
NOV. 14: MINNESOTA, TBA, TBA (Military Appreciation Day)
NOV. 21: RUTGERS, TBA, TBA (Senior Day)
NOV. 28: @ Maryland, TBA, TBA
- Friday game
In Other News...
Penn State Still Feels The Fallout From One Costly Decision
Penn States coaching change in October 2025 set off a stretch of uncertainty that still shapes how the program is being judged today. James Franklin was dismissed after a third straight Big Ten loss, and what followed was a 54-day search that eventually landed on Matt Campbell. The move gave the Nittany Lions a fresh start on the sideline, but it also came with the kind of scrutiny that never really disappears once a high-profile job opens up.
The process drew plenty of attention along the way, including interest in Bob Chesney and Kalani Sitake, and it has only sharpened the conversation around athletic director Pat Krafts decisions. Penn State opened the next season 3-0, but the losses that followed knocked the team out of College Football Playoff contention and left the program dealing with the bigger question of whether the right call was made when the search finally ended. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Used White Out Weekend To Turn Up Recruiting Pressure
White Out weekend has long been Penn States best stage for making a first impression, and this years recruiting version leaned hard into that advantage. More than 100 prospects came through campus, giving the staff a chance to showcase the atmosphere to a group that included most of the 2027 class and several highly regarded 2028 players. Eighteen of the 22 committed players in that 2027 group were on hand, a useful sign for a class that is currently ranked No. 20 nationally.
The event also gave Penn State a chance to keep pushing ahead while the calendar still has room to shift. Along with hosting the visitors, the program handed out new offers to players in the 2028, 2029 and 2030 classes, widening the board while the buzz from the weekend was still fresh. For a staff that knows how much the White Out setting can matter, the message was clear: the pressure is on now, long before these recruiting battles reach the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Defensive Problem It Cant Ignore
Penn States defense hit a rough patch in Week 6, and Marcus Neal Jr. ended up at the center of it. The Iowa State transfer safety was benched after struggling in coverage during Big Ten play, a reminder that the Lions portal-heavy approach does not always come with instant answers, especially when the schedule tightens and the margins get smaller.
Neal is not the only former Cyclone who has had trouble settling in. Linebackers Kooper Ebel and Jeremiah Cooper have also underperformed, with tackling and coverage issues becoming part of the conversation. For a defense that wants to stay dependable deep into conference play, the question now is whether Penn State needs to lean less on some of those Iowa State transfers and give younger options a bigger look. [Read more 🡒]