Previewing Penn State Football’s Schedule
Penn State football looks to make a leap in 2024 with playoff aspirations led by head coach James Franklin. Penn State has had five seasons with 10 wins or more since 2016 but hasn’t reached the playoffs over that stretch. Penn State is led by two junior spearheads on both sides of the ball, Drew Allar at quarterback, and on the opposite side of the ball, Abdul Carter, linebacker converted to now defensive end for the Nittany Lions. Allar hopes to make strides after a bit of a disappointing season last year, unable to lead the troops against the Big Ten powerhouses of Ohio State and Michigan. Allar did have a problem with missing his targets, completing just under 60 percent of his passes, and hopes to grow in his second year as the starter. Carter has been nothing but a beast, leading this defense with a tenacity unlike no other and truly embodying what Penn State is known as a linebacker university. After a change of position, Carter hopes to wreak havoc in the opposing backfield with his speed around the edge.
The Nittany Lions open up the season on the road in West Virginia, followed by two more out-of-conference opponents at home with Bowling Green and Kent State. Penn State opens up conference play with a familiar opponent in Illinois, who took them to a record seven overtime game in 2021. Two new additions to the Big Ten follow the Illini as the blue and white host UCLA and then head to southern California to play the Trojans of USC. This is followed by two tough familiar opponents as they travel to Wisconsin and then host the Ohio State Buckeyes. Penn State’s famous “White Out” game will be played against the Washington Huskies. Penn State closes the season out with two road games against Purdue and Minnesota and a home finale against the Maryland Terrapins.
With the loss of former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz leaving to coach the Duke Blue Devils, new hire Tom Allen hopes to not miss a beat and lead this defense with the returns of many faces of the defense. Penn State also brought in a new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who hopes to revamp this offense. They have the talent, with the two monsters in the backfield, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and new transfer wide receiver Julian Fleming coming over from the rival Buckeyes. The change of the College Football Playoff format could play in favor of the Nittany Lions, but they look to make their first return to the playoff in over 10 years.
