BREAKING: Penn State football 2024 Big Ten schedule dates announced

Penn State football is staring down a road trip to Maryland this weekend, fighting to keep its Big Ten East Division and College Football Playoff hopes alive. But we momentarily shift our focus to next year for the announcement of the 2024 Big Ten schedule dates for football. Last month, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions learned who and where they will play in the new-look Big Ten next fall. But today’s announcement from the conference fills in the final critical piece: when.

Still unrivaled in the new Big Ten football schedule

The Big Ten will look drastically different in 2024 with the additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington to the conference. The conference released its initial scheduling model, “Flex Protect Plus,” in June, only to have to revise it following the addition of the Huskies and Ducks in August.

The conference’s new framework, “Flex Protect XVIII,” was rolled out last month. The model, locked in for 2024 through 2028, ensures that each school plays the other conference opponents twice in the five years – one home and one road game.

Of course, in both models, Penn State football was the only team in the now division-less conference without a protected annual rival. The Nittany Lions’ 2024 schedule is headlined by home games with Ohio State, UCLA, and Washington, as well as road contests at USC and Wisconsin. Penn State first plays the final Big Ten newcomer, Oregon, in 2025. The Nittany Lions won’t see back-to-back Big Ten champion Michigan again until a 2026 trip to Ann Arbor.

Penn State football 2024 schedule

With the announcement of the 2024 Big Ten schedule today, we have a complete picture of who Penn State football will play next fall.

The newly scheduled games, plus the existing non-conference matchups for the Nittany Lions, are as follows:

August 31: at West Virginia

September 7: Bowling Green

September 14: Bye

September 21: Kent State

September 28: Illinois

October 5: UCLA

October 12: at USC

October 19: Bye

October 26: at Wisconsin

November 2: Ohio State

November 9: Washington

November 16: at Purdue

November 23: at Minnesota

November 30: Maryland

Penn State football opens conference play with Illinois, as it did this year. The Nittany Lions face several difficult turnarounds, with UCLA and at USC in back-to-back weeks, followed by at Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Washington later in the year. The season will end with Maryland at home

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!