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Neil Rudel

PSU’s season will be shaped in Columbus

UNIVERSITY PARK — OK, let the season begin. Then sixth-ranked Penn State improved to 6-0 by disposing of Massachusetts, 63-0, on a miserable, rainy Saturday at Beaver Stadium, the last remaining “game” on the schedule before the curtain goes up on the real competition. And that’s Saturday in Columbus, where the unbeaten and third-ranked Buckeyes await and where the Nittany Lions’ season will be shaped. James Franklin, though, wasn’t quite ready to look ahead Saturday night, saying/pleading, “I just want to have a few hours of normalcy and hang out with my wife,” ...

With OSU next, Franklin can’t lose focus

James Franklin is generally very careful with what he says, the way he says it and is almost always on point in his dealings with the media. That was not the case this week. With Massachusetts in town — the Minutemen are seven-touchdown underdogs — Franklin was once again asked Tuesday about non-conference scheduling and whether he thought it would change with the impending Big Ten expansion and 12-team playoff format. The first thing he said was, “Yeah, I would say there’s a team in this conference, specifically, that’s buying out of a ton of game contracts that are ...

What does new schedule mean for Nits?

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State’s Big Ten opponents are set for the next five years. The Big Ten on Thursday announced conference games for all 18 of its schools, including USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, beginning in 2024. It previously announced the opponents for the 2024 and ’25, but has now updated that with more-recent additions of Oregon and Washington. The Big Ten will move away from divisions next year, and the teams with the best records will play for the conference title. It will continue with nine conference games, alternating four home and five away, each year. Game ...

Lions can’t play down to Wildcats

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions hit the road to Northwestern: n Talk about going from the best atmosphere in the Big Ten to the worst. Penn State enjoyed the White Out last week, drawing 110,830, nearly setting a Beaver Stadium attendance record and creating a spectacle that is admired throughout not only college football but in all of sports. The Lions responded accordingly by treating their fans to a 31-0 domination of Iowa. It will be a total comedown today (noon, BTN) at Ryan Field, which seats 47,000 and will be lucky to have ...

PSU fans should enjoy Iowa series

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com James Franklin snuck in a dig at the Big Ten office earlier this week when he noted how often the Nittany Lions play Iowa, “maybe the best team in the West (division) over our time here. We love that ... I know it’s random.” I like Franklin, ...

PSU point-counterpoint: What is your biggest reason for optimism with this team? (Rudel)

Allar has already elevated ceiling on Nits’ potential By Neil Rudel It really boils down to Drew Allar. Yes, Penn State has plenty of talent at nearly every position, but to get to the College Football Playoff, you need “The Guy.” Times have clearly changed since the Nittany Lions’ finest hour — beating Miami 14-10 for the national championship in 1986 — and nowadays it takes scoring 40 points to be crowned. And you can’t do that with John Shaffer at quarterback — nothing against Shaffer, who was the consummate winner and leader. You can’t even do it with, though ...