Penn State’s Big Ten opener will happen on Saturday in prime time, and this will be the first time we’ll be able to learn anything about the 2017 team. The dubiously #4 ranked Nittany Lions (3-0 – all cupcakes) must bring their A-game to Iowa City, where they take on the as yet unranked Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0 – all slightly better cupcakes).
Let’s get a few increasingly irrelevant facts out of the way before we look at this thing footballistically. The Hawkeyes have won four straight night games at Kinnick Stadium, and they’ve won five straight Big Ten openers. (Although a good omen is that the last opening conference loss was to Dear Olde State in 2011.) Four of the five opening wins were on enemy turf. This will be Iowa’s first home conference schedule kickoff since 2012. [Continue reading]
