Penn State’s trip to Michigan will come in the afternoon, not under the lights.
The Big Ten announced Monday that the Nittany Lions and Wolverines will kick off Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Michigan Stadium, leaving the matchup out of the prime-time slot that had been expected. Broadcast details have not yet been set.
It’s a game between two teams that are both searching for answers. Penn State and Michigan are each 0-2 in Big Ten play for the first time since Penn State joined the conference in 1993, and Penn State is coming off a 34-13 loss at Northwestern on Friday. The Wildcats piled up 413 rushing yards and limited the Nittany Lions to 48 in a lopsided win at New Ryan Field.
Michigan also stumbled last week, dropping a 20-14 decision to Minnesota to fall to 0-2 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2014, Brady Hoke’s final season as the Wolverines’ head coach. Minnesota claimed the Little Brown Jug on its home field for the first time in 49 years.
"I'm still trying to figure it out. I've been in this profession for 40-plus years, and this is the biggest challenge I've had," Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said.
"We will get it figured out, I promise you that. I'm not sure what the timeline is, but I promise you we'll get it figured out at some juncture.
A lot of answers that we've got to come up with, because we've got so many deficiencies."
Penn State and Michigan last met in 2023, when the Wolverines won 24-14 on their way to the national championship. Michigan has taken the last three meetings and holds a 17-10 edge in the Big Ten series.
The road has not been kind to Penn State in Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions are 4-10 at Michigan Stadium and have won there only once since 2009, a 27-17 victory in the 2020 Covid season.
Before that trip, Penn State turns its attention to another major test at home. No.
19 USC comes to Beaver Stadium on Saturday for the first time since 1994, with the annual White Out set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night.
That White Out carries a different feel than last year’s version, when Penn State hosted Oregon as the unbeaten No. 2 team in the country. This time, Penn State has two Big Ten losses for the first time since 2016.
The market has already reflected the slide. White Out ticket prices on the resale market have dropped by more than half since the Northwestern loss, and Penn State still has not beaten a Power 4 opponent this season.
After the loss at Northwestern, offensive lineman Cooper Cousins tried to pull the team’s focus back where it belongs.
"The biggest thing is, you can have a victim mentality or a victor mentality," Cousins said late Friday night at New Ryan Field. "So my biggest focus, not only for the team right now but even for myself, is to not have a victim mentality, because we’ve got a good opponent next week and we've got to get ready to go."
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Wont Like What An In-State Rival Coach Said
Pat Narduzzi had plenty to say after Pitts close win over Virginia Tech, and much of it was bound to land with Penn State fans as a familiar jab from across the state. The Pitt coach addressed a controversial missed field goal in that game, then turned his attention to the AP Top 25, questioning Penn States placement despite the recent losses that have piled up for the Nittany Lions.
Narduzzi also used the moment to make a case for his own program, pointing to Pitts undefeated start and current ranking as proof his team deserves more respect. It was the latest reminder that the tension between Pitt and Penn State remains very much alive, with Narduzzi continuing a public back-and-forth that has long carried extra weight in a rivalry shaped by him and former Penn State coach James Franklin. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Early Big Ten Slide Suddenly Looks Like A Bigger Problem
Two weeks into Big Ten play, the leagues shape is already starting to tell a familiar story at the top, with the conference heavyweights still looking the part while some of the preseason contenders are scrambling to catch up. Penn State is in that second group after an uneven start that has made the early standings feel less like a snapshot and more like a warning sign, especially with the Big Tens path to multiple College Football Playoff bids depending on its best teams stacking wins and avoiding the kind of stumbles that can linger all fall.
The Nittany Lions are not alone in that bind, but their position carries extra weight because expectations were so high before league play began. Washington is facing its own early trouble, and several coaching situations around the conference are already under a sharper spotlight, yet Penn States slide stands out because it changes the margin for error so quickly. If the league is going to earn the depth it needs at the top, the teams that were supposed to anchor it cannot keep giving ground this early. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces A Season-Shaping White Out Problem Against USC
White Out week has a way of making Beaver Stadium feel like its own event, but Penn State enters the home showdown with No. 18 USC carrying a lot more than the usual pageantry. The Nittany Lions are trying to steady themselves after a rough opening stretch in Big Ten play, and this one arrives in prime time with the kind of stakes that can turn early-season frustration into a much larger problem if it goes wrong again.
USC brings a dangerous offense led by quarterback Jayden Maiava, and the Trojans have also shown enough recent defensive improvement to make this less of a shootout guarantee than it might have looked a month ago. Penn States own offense has been dealing with injuries, which only raises the pressure on the home team to find answers and avoid an 0-3 start in conference play. [Read more 🡒]