Penn State’s season has already produced a little bit of history, even before the results on the field have matched the noise around it. The Nittany Lions are about to play their seventh game Saturday against Michigan, and every one of their first six has landed with a different broadcast partner - a first for the program.
The next stop is CBS, which will carry Penn State-Michigan at 3:30 p.m. That follows a lineup that has already run through Fox Sports 1, ESPN2, Big Ten Network, Peacock, Fox and NBC.
It’s a wide television trail, and for fans trying to keep up, it can be a hassle. But in the current college football setup, it also says plenty about how the sport works now: visibility is value, and the games keep ending up on every major stage.
That larger media world is also why the conversation around coaches and outside noise never really goes away. Coaches love to say they ignore it.
They rarely do. Penn State coach Matt Campbell has acknowledged what fans and media expect, though he has not yet turned that into a public rallying point.
USC coach Lincoln Riley did after the Trojans handed Penn State its most recent loss.
"We didn't really listen to what you guys on the outside had to say," Riley said. "Nobody in the world gave us a chance to come in and win this game, and we did it. We did it our way."
That kind of messaging can work as fuel. It can also sound a little too aware of the very voices coaches claim not to hear.
And when a coach starts swiping at the outside world, the response can come off petty fast. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko recently called a popular online community centered on his program a "cesspool."
That’s the kind of move that usually creates more friction than fire.
The bigger picture in college football is drifting toward another round of expansion, this time to a 24-team College Football Playoff. Reports from meetings of college football leaders last week pointed to growing support for a field that would double the current format.
If that happens, the regular season gets a little less meaningful and the money gets a lot more important. That’s how this sport works now, and everyone seems to know it.
Broadcasts are carrying plenty of their own conversation too. NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night coverage of the White Out game was strong overall, with sharp visuals and steady storytelling.
Still, Todd Blackledge, who quarterbacked Penn State to its first national championship in 1982, came across at times as a bit too protective of his alma mater. The booth didn’t say much about Penn State’s timeout usage, and when current QB Rocco Becht made mistakes, Blackledge’s silence said enough.
There’s also a crowded stretch coming on the SEC Network. Missouri-Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday and Kentucky-Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. make for a strong back-to-back set, even if there are bigger games elsewhere in the conference. For a league channel, though, that’s a pretty appealing doubleheader.
One complaint that keeps hanging around television coverage is crowd noise. Too often, it drowns out the very voices viewers are tuning in to hear. Home audiences are there for the broadcast, not to be buried under the stadium sound.
As for the weekend slate, Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff is heading to Bloomington for Ohio State-Indiana, while ESPN’s College GameDay is going to Provo, Utah, ahead of Notre Dame-BYU.
Worth watching: Ohio State at Indiana, noon Saturday, Fox
Alabama at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC
Notre Dame at BYU, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC
Nebraska at Oregon, 11 p.m. Saturday, Fox
In Other News...
Penn State Could Be Getting A Familiar Name Back For A Key Need
Penn State may be getting a familiar name back just as the season moves into a crucial stretch. LaVar Arrington II, the son of College Football Hall of Famer LaVar Arrington, is expected to return to the football team after the bye week, giving the Nittany Lions another option as they look to shore up a need on defense. He spent last season contributing on special teams, and his return adds an intriguing layer for a roster that could use another versatile piece.
The bigger question is where he fits once he is cleared to come back. Coach Matt Campbell said the staff will decide whether Arrington II lines up at linebacker or defensive end, with the goal of putting him in the best spot to make an impact. After missing time this season because of injury, his next role could help determine not just how Penn State uses him, but how quickly he can carve out a meaningful place in the defense again. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Offense May Be Forced Into A Shakeup At Worst Time
Penn States offense is staring at a delicate stretch, and the timing is hardly ideal. Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser pointed to a handful of issues that have slowed the unit in Big Ten play, from the lack of production in three conference losses to the absence of wide receiver Koby Howard because of injury. The Nittany Lions have also come up short too often inside the 20-yard line, turning promising drives into field goals or empty possessions instead of touchdowns.
Mouser said the staff may have to consider changes up front, while freshman receiver Amarion Jackson could also see more of the field as the offense looks for answers. Those adjustments would come as Penn State tries to clean up red zone execution, where the margin for error has become increasingly thin. The next step is finding out whether the reshuffle can spark enough consistency to matter before the schedule tightens any further. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Just Entered A Long-Term Recruiting Fight In Pennsylvania
Deion Sanders is already taking an early swing in Pennsylvania. Colorado recently extended a scholarship offer to Kaleb Woseley, a 2028 cornerback at Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia, and Woseley shared the news publicly on social media as his recruiting profile continues to rise.
For Penn State, the bigger takeaway is that one of the states most promising young defensive backs is drawing attention well before signing day ever becomes a factor. Woseley is viewed as a versatile player with interest from multiple power-conference programs, and Colorados move signals an effort to get in on the ground floor and start building a relationship long before the chase really tightens. [Read more 🡒]