Charlie Strella
July 31, 2024 6:03 am ET
The Penn State Nittany Lions enter the 2024 college football season with a very middle-of-the-pack schedule regarding difficulty.
The program avoids the Michigan Wolverines, the reigning national champions, and doesn’t have to travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State, as that matchup will occur in Beaver Stadium this year. Penn State still has a tough home matchup against Washington and will travel to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans.
Related: Game-by-game score predictions for Penn State’s 2024 schedule
Gone are the days of a demanding Big Ten East schedule where the Nittany Lions would face off against Michigan and Ohio State in the same season. Those two games have always been the center of attention for Penn State and, in the last couple of years, have been the main reasons why the program is still without a College Football Playoff berth.
Now, the Nittany Lions appear to be getting a more manageable schedule in the first year of the expanded Big Ten, especially with no Oregon on the schedule in 2024. (You can download our 2024 schedule as a wallpaper for your phone!)
Related: Every Big Ten team ranked in terms of travel miles for the 2024 season
Penn State is desperately searching for a playoff spot, and its 2024 schedule indicates that it is a likely possibility. Here is our ranking of every game on Penn State’s 2024 schedule from easiest to toughest:
12
Sept. 21 vs. Kent State
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 129/134 (-20.6)
ESPN FPI: 134 (out of 134 FBS teams)
The Golden Flashes went 1-11 in 2023 and struggled significantly on offense, scoring a meager 14.7 points per game. Coming into Beaver Stadium after Penn State’s first bye week of the season has the making of a blowout at the hands of Kent State.
11
Sept. 7 vs. Bowling Green
Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 94/134 (-9.1)
ESPN FPI: 103 (out of 134 FBS teams)
The Falcons made a bowl game last year but lost to Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl and seem to be similarly situated this year. However, a .500 team coming into Happy Valley is no matchup for Penn State, even in early September.
10
Nov. 15 at Purdue
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 72/134 (-3.0)
ESPN FPI: 60 (out of 134 FBS teams)
Penn State gets Purdue after back-to-back home games against Ohio State and Washington. Normally, I’d say this has the makings of a trap game, but after a White Out matchup against the Huskies and the Boilermakers not offering much resistance, I think the Nittany Lions will come out ready to win.
9
Illinois Fighting Illini
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 66/134 (-1.3)
ESPN FPI: 62 (out of 134 FBS teams)
The Fighting Illini are hard to pinpoint coming into 2024. They were a 5-7 team last season and are projected to have around five wins again this season. Perhaps their offense is decent enough to scare Penn State, but a late September game in Beaver Stadium won’t be an upset waiting to happen.
8
Nov. 23 at Minnesota
Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 45/134 (4.8)
ESPN FPI: 61 (out of 134 FBS teams)
The Golden Gophers come up right after the Boilermakers on the schedule, making the Nittany Lions travel two weeks in a row. Despite being another road game, Penn State is superior to Minnesota.
7
Oct. 5 vs. UCLA Bruins
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 26/134 (11.3)
ESPN FPI: 40 (out of 134 FBS teams)
Maybe if this game were played at the Rose Bowl, I’d see this game as a bit more challenging for the Nittany Lions. For this year at least, the game will be played at the raucous Beaver Stadium, and Penn State should cruise against a UCLA team in a bit of a rebuild.
Get more (UCLA) news, analysis and opinions onUCLA Wire
6
Nov. 30 vs. Maryland
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 44/134 (5.0)
ESPN FPI: 46 (out of 134 FBS teams)
Maryland started the 2023 season 5-0 before running into Ohio State. Taulia Tagovailoa gave the Terps a chance to win every game last year, but it still wasn’t a match for Penn State, which put up 51 points in College Park. The Terps should be a couple of wins worse this year, and Penn State won’t find much difficulty with them on the final day of the regular season.
5
Nov. 9 vs. Washington
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 35/134 (9.1)
ESPN FPI: 31 (out of 134 FBS teams)
Michael Penix and Kalen DeBoer are gone and the Huskies are rebuilding with Jedd Fisch. Penn State will welcome them to the Big Ten for the annual White Out game in early November. The game coming after Ohio State isn’t ideal and could be considered a trap game if the Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes. Penn State will embrace the atmosphere and shouldn’t face extreme difficulty against a Husky squad that’s lost a lot of talent.
Get more (Washington) news, analysis and opinions onHuskies Wire
4
Oct. 26 at Wisconsin
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 27/134 (10.8)
ESPN FPI: 39 (out of 134 FBS teams)
Wisconsin enters its second season under Luke Fickell and projects for a similar record as 2023, when they went 7-6. The Badgers lose RB Braelon Allen to the NFL and bring in Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke to play quarterback. Many will say Fickell’s squad underperformed last year, but ESPN’s FPI still only has them around six wins. Camp Randall can be rough on the opposition, but a reformed Badger offense, even at home, won’t be enough to knock Penn State off its game.
Get more (Wisconsin) news, analysis and opinions onBadgers Wire
3
Aug. 31 at West Virginia
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 34/134 (9.4)
ESPN FPI: 35 (out of 134 FBS teams)
It wasn’t a tight contest a year ago at Beaver Stadium (38-15), but the Mountaineers went 9-4 and beat North Carolina in Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Going into Morgantown is tough for any team, including Penn State. The fact that this matchup takes place in Week 1 makes it all the more challenging for a Penn State program, integrating three new coordinators and several new key pieces on both sides of the ball. It might not have been this tough of a matchup when the game was announced a few years ago, but the Mountaineers are for real.
2
Oct. 12 at USC
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
SP+ Ranking: No. 21/134 (13.6)
ESPN FPI: 18 (out of 134 FBS teams)
Lincoln Riley’s squads always seem to have an elite offense, and even without Caleb Williams, Miller Moss should find immediate success. The Trojan offense is more of a question mark, but by mid-October, Penn State should know what to expect. It likely won’t be a shootout due to a stout Penn State defense, but the Nittany Lions will have to score, and if the Trojans find any resemblance of an average defense, it could very well be a close game.
1
Nov. 2 vs. Ohio State
The Columbus Dispatch
SP+ Ranking: No. 2/134 (32.7)
ESPN FPI: 4 (out of 134 FBS teams)
Ohio State is the best team on Penn State’s schedule. The game is in Happy Valley this year, giving Penn State an advantage they didn’t have last year. However, it still is the Nittany Lions’ toughest game, and the fact that it comes after a road contest in Madison raises the challenge another level.
Get more (Ohio State) news, analysis and opinions onBuckeyes Wire
