REPORT: Penn State football 2024 season opener set for Big Noon Kickoff

Just as in 2023, Penn State football and West Virginia appears to be slated as one of the showcase games to kick off the 2024 college football season. Reported by Brett McMurphy on Thursday morning, the Nittany Lions season opener against the Mountaineers is set for Saturday, August 31 on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff. The game will mark the first time since 1992 that Penn State has traveled to Morgantown.

Penn State-West Virginia matchup set for Big Noon Kickoff

Let the countdown begin. First reported by The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy on Thursday, Penn State football and West Virginia will square off to open the 2024 season for week one’s Big Noon Kickoff game. Additional kickoff times are expected later in the day.

The Nittany Lions opened at 12-point favorites per DraftKings earlier in May; the line currently sits at 10.

Game times, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. More today at 2:30 pm ET

Aug 31
Penn St at WVU noon FOX

Sept 7
Arkansas at Okla St noon ABC
Baylor at Utah 3:30 FOX
Miss St at Arizona St 10:30 ESPN

Sept 14
Ole Miss at Wake Forest 6:30 pm CW
UCF at TCU 7:30 FOX

Nov 29
Okla St at…

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 30, 2024

The announcement marks the third consecutive year that James Franklin and the Nittany Lions will play their season opener on one of the Big Four broadcast networks. Of course, last year’s opener versus the Mountaineers was shown on NBC. The 2022 opener was also on FOX but played on Thursday night.

There were rumblings earlier in the spring that year’s opener may also be played on a weeknight, but those obviously did not come to fruition.

Penn State football is 43-6-1 against West Virginia since 1904, including 15-5 in Morgantown. The Nittany Lions’ last trip to Mountaineer Field came in 1992, which resulted in a 42-26 victory.

New look for the Nittany Lions in Morgantown

For the first time since James Franklin took over the helm of the Penn State football program, the Nittany Lions will be breaking in a trio of brand-new coordinators this fall. Indeed, a lot has seemingly changed since Penn State’s 38-15 win over West Virginia in Beaver Stadium to kick off the 2023 season.

A passing attack that lit up the Mountaineer defense in week one but then lost its spark by year’s end now looks to rekindle itself under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Over half of the Nittany Lions’ production from that 332-yard performance is now gone, with KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Malik McClain, Dante Cephas, and Malick Meiga all entering the transfer portal since the end of 2023.

On the other side of the ball, 2024 marks the passing of the torch from long-time leaders such as Curtis Jacobs, Keaton Ellis, and Adisa Isaac to those like KJ Winston and Kobe King.

The defensive front will be revamped with Abdul Carter’s shift from linebacker to edge. New defensive coordinator Tom Allen will look to rising sophomore Tony Rojas to help replace Carter at linebacker, and will also need to rely on a group of young defensive backs to replace the departing Kalen King, Johnny Dixon, and Daequan Hardy.

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