The Big Ten has taken Penn State and football coach James Franklin on a trip around the Midwest and Maryland for its past seven conference openers, and the 2023 season will be No. 8.
Big Ten officials released the ’23 conference schedule Wednesday, and Penn State will open Sept. 16 at Illinois. In the previous seven seasons, the Nittany Lions’ first conference game has been played in the stadiums of Purdue, Wisconsin, Indiana, Maryland, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan.
Penn State’s four Big Ten home games will be against Iowa (Sept. 23), Indiana (Oct. 28), Michigan (Nov. 11) and Rutgers (Nov. 18). Following Illinois, the road games will be at Northwestern (Sept. 30), Ohio State (Oct. 21), Maryland (Nov. 4) and Michigan State (Nov. 28).
July 27: Penn State AD Pat Kraft about Nittany Lions opening league play on road every year since 2016: “It stinks. I called conference office & said this is unacceptable. This shouldn't happen at Penn State”
Today: Big Ten 2023
schedule is out & Penn State opens at Illinois— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 26, 2022
Penn State’s three nonconference games will be at Beaver Stadium, with the season opener against West Virginia on Sept. 2, followed by Delaware on Sept. 9 and UMass on Oct. 14.
The West Virginia game will be the first time the longtime rivals have met on the football field since 1992. Before the series was interrupted, the Nittany Lions and Mountaineers played every year since 1947. Penn State holds a 48-9-2 edge in the series that was first played in 1904.
After covid-related changes were made for the 2020 season, all future Big Ten schedules that were previously announced were revised, including the 2023 season. The format of future Big Ten football schedules for 2024 and beyond will be announced at a later date.
The 2023 #B1GFootball schedule is set! https://t.co/ctCQ63sKej
Which matchup is the most intriguing? ???? pic.twitter.com/PnU6oW5Jdj
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 26, 2022
The 2023 season will be the first with the Big Ten’s recently announced media rights partners (CBS, Fox, NBC, Peacock and BTN).
