Penn State's Big Ten Schedule 'Tradition' Ends in 2024

The Nittany Lions will open the 2024 Big Ten season at home for the first time in nine years.

The 2024 Penn State football schedule is out, and an eight-year Big Ten "tradition" is ending. The Nittany Lions will host Illinois in their 2024 Big Ten opener, closing the book on a recent conference scheduling quirk.

The Big Ten released its 2024 football schedules Thursday, welcoming Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA into the conference. Penn State will open Big Ten play Sept. 28 against Illinois, its first conference home-opener since 2015. Penn State began Big Ten play on the road for eight consecutive seasons from 2016-23, something Coach James Franklin and Athletic Director Patrick Kraft noted to various levels of irritation. Franklin spoke of the streak sarcastically, calling it a "tradition" and saying "We love it."

"We’re trying kind of reverse psychology and [asking] to be on the road this coming year and see what happens," Franklin said before the Lions' road opener at Illinois in September.

Kraft, meanwhile, played bad cop, especially when the Big Ten released the 2023 schedule last August that included Franklin's ninth conference road opener in 10 seasons. Penn State also had begun Big Ten play on the road in 13 of the past 14 seasons. Following that announcement, Kraft released a statement calling the scheduling model "incredibly frustrating and disappointing."

Franklin went 7-2 in Big Ten road openers, so the schedule ultimately didn't prove so unfriendly. Now, the Lions can turn toward a 2024 football schedule that has other potholes. Some notes:

Penn State begins November with one of its the biggest bangs in memory, hosting Ohio State and Washington in consecutive weeks. The Buckeyes and Huskies currently are undefeated and rank first and fifth in the initial 2023 College Football Playoff rankings. Washington will make its first visit to Beaver Stadium.

The Lions play both California teams in back-to-back weeks: UCLA at home Oct. 5 and at USC on Oct. 12.

UCLA is the first-glimpse contender for the 2024 Penn State White Out.

Penn State does not play Michigan or Michigan State for the first time since 2012.

At Minnesota in November. Yikes.

Penn State opens the 2024 season at West Virginia, making its first trip to Morgantown since 1992.

Penn State has two bye weeks built into the schedule in September and after visiting USC. Here's a look at Penn State's 2024 football schedule. Kickoff times and TV information will be announced later.

Penn State 2024 Football Schedule

Aug. 31: at West Virginia

Sept. 7: BOWLING GREEN

Sept. 14: BYE

Sept. 21: KENT STATE

Sept. 28: ILLINOIS

Oct. 5: UCLA

Oct. 12: at USC

Oct. 19: BYE

Oct. 26: at Wisconsin

Nov. 2: OHIO STATE

Nov. 9: WASHINGTON

Nov. 16: at Purdue

Nov. 23: at Minnesota

Nov. 30: MARYLAND

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.