Penn State to Host Ohio State on Halloween as Big Ten Announces 2020 Football Schedule

Penn State's 2020 football schedule includes an early matchup with Ohio State and trips to Nebraska and Michigan.

Penn State will host Ohio State in a Week 2 blockbuster game on Halloween as part of Big Ten football's return in October.

The Big Ten on Saturday announced the full schedule for its 2020 season. Penn State's will include a difficult start, road games at Nebraska and Michigan and a regular-season finale against Michigan State.

Here's Penn State's new 2020 football schedule:

Oct. 24: at Indiana

Oct. 31: Ohio State

Nov. 7: Maryland

Nov. 14: at Nebraska

Nov. 21: Iowa

Nov. 28: at Michigan

Dec. 5: at Rutgers

Dec. 12: Michigan State

A few thoughts:

The Big Ten is delivering Week 2 fireworks, even if the stadium will be empty, with Penn State vs. Ohio State at Beaver Stadium. Ohio State began the season ranked No. 2 the first AP Top 25 poll. Penn State was seventh. The potential division-title elimination game comes very early.

The new schedule restores a recent Penn State tradition: starting the Big Ten season on the road. The Lions open 2020 with a visit to Indiana, marking the fifth consecutive year they will begin Big Ten play on the road. Since 2010, Penn State has opened the Big Ten schedule at home just once: in 2015 against Rutgers.

In the previous two incarnations of their 2020 schedule, the Lions were scheduled to host Northwestern to start Big Ten play.

That's no easy opener for Penn State. The Hoosiers wen 8-5 last season and received votes in the preseason AP Top 25. The Lions squeezed out a 33-28 win in their 2018 trip to Bloomington.

The Land Grant Trophy returns to its rightful place as the reward for winning the regular-season finale. Penn State will host Michigan State on Dec. 12. It's their first meeting in a regular-season finale since 2016.

Penn State will play its crossover games on consecutive weeks against Iowa and Nebraska. The Lions will visit Nebraska for the first time since 2012.

Here's a comparison of Penn State's three 2020 schedules.

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