ICYMI: Future Penn State football opponent announces major program change

A future opponent for multiple Penn State football is making the move to the top level of collegiate sports. The Delaware Blue Hens are making the move to the FBS level starting during the 2024-25 season. This move by Delaware will upgrade the Penn State football schedule and will also be a new conference opponent for the Nittany Lions women’s ice hockey team.

Penn State football gets a schedule upgrade

When Penn State football scheduled Delaware for a two-game series a few years ago, the thought was that the Blue Hens would be an FCS opponent. That changed this last week, when Delaware announced a plan to make the move to the FBS level. The Blue Hens will be joining Conference USA as a full-league member effective July 1, 2025.

Penn State played Delaware for the first time in school history this season, a game in which the Nittany Lions won 63-7 at Beaver Stadium. The next time the two teams are scheduled to play is the 2027 season. By then, the Blue Hens will be in their third season at the FBS level and will be eligible for postseason play.

Penn State football will now host three FBS opponents to open the 2027 season, with Syracuse, Delaware, and Temple all making the trip to Happy Valley.

Women’s hockey gets new conference opponent

Because the Delaware football team is making the move from FCS to FBS, the program will need to increase its scholarship number from 63 to 85. In order to stay in compliance with Title IX, the university had to add a women’s sport to match the scholarship numbers. As a result, Delaware chose to add women’s ice hockey to meet this requirement. The Blue Hens have had plenty of success at the ACHA level over the last decade, so it was a logical choice.

The new team will be a future conference opponent for Penn State, as Delaware will be joining the CHA in 2025. The CHA currently has the NCAA minimum of six teams needed to get an auto bid for the postseason tournament. Adding Delaware will give the conference seven teams and some flexibility if a school were to drop a team for whatever reason.

Currently, the CHA includes Penn State, Mercyhurst, RIT, Robert Morris, Syracuse, and Lindenwood. Outside of Lindenwood, the entire conference is in western Pennsylvania and New York. Delaware could become a new regional rival for Penn State once the program gets off the ground.

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