If Penn State wants to break into the upper echelon of the Big Ten, they’ll need to beat the best in the conference. Ohio State and Michigan have dominated the conference in recent years, winning each of the last six Big Ten titles.
With that in mind, Penn State head coach James Franklin is already prepping for these marquee matchups on the Nittany Lions’ schedule.
“I’m gonna be honest… We will get a head start on Michigan and we will get a head start on Ohio State,” Franklin said during a recent interview The Hard Count. “Obviously we understand the importance of those two games.”
James Franklin says the main thing is the main thing for Week 1… but they’ve started some prep for Ohio State and Michigan too 👀
Full conversation tomorrow 11 AM ET 📺: https://t.co/BWjHdqHXrI | @PennStateOn3 pic.twitter.com/twcINM6l9H
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) May 24, 2023
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This past season, Franklin and the Nittany Lions only lost two games en route to their Rose Bowl victory: one against Michigan and one against Ohio State. Penn State has not beaten the Wolverines since 2020, and the Buckeyes since 2016.
This coming season poses an excellent opportunity for the Nittany Lions, who enter the year as a preseason top-10 team in the nation.
Penn State will kickoff its season with a Week 1 matchup against the West Virginia Mountaineers. They’ll face off against Ohio State on October 21 and Michigan on November 11.