Penn State-Ohio State Is Beaver Stadium's First Top-5 Game in 25 Years

The No. 3 Nittany Lions host the No. 4 Buckeyes for a game with sweeping Big Ten and College Football Playoff stakes.

Penn State students cheer during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

State College will be the epicenter of college football, and potentially the 2024 presidential election, on Saturday, when Beaver Stadium hosts its first game between top-5 teams in 25 years. So welcome to Happy Valley Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Pat McAfee and potentially Donald Trump. And best of luck to those in traffic.

Penn State and Ohio State are No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in the latest AP Top 25 college football poll, meaning they will play Saturday with their highest combined ranking since 1996, when No. 3 Ohio State defeated No. 4 Penn State 38-7 in Columbus. Saturday's game marks the first between top-5 opponents at Beaver Stadium since 1999, when the No. 3 Nittany Lions opened the season with a 41-7 victory over No. 4 Arizona. Attendance for that game was 97,168. It could be 14,000 higher Saturday and test a Beaver Stadium record.

Penn State and Ohio State set the Beaver Stadium attendance record in 2018, when an announced crowd of 110,889 watched the Buckeyes defeat Penn State 27-26. This game could surpass that to become the first to reach the 111,000 threshold in Beaver Stadium history.

First, Penn State fans are eager to see the Nittany Lions at home again after a four-week absence. The Nittany Lions last played at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 5, sandwiching road games at USC and Wisconsin around a bye week. They're even more eager to see the Nittany Lions end a seven-game losing streak to Ohio State. Penn State will face Ohio State with a 7-0 record for the first time since 2017. That year, the sixth-ranked Buckeyes ended No. 2 Penn State's win streak 39-38 in Columbus. This is Penn State's highest-ranked team in the AP Top 25 since that season.

Second, college football's primary pre-game shows both will set up shop outside Beaver Stadium. ESPN College Gameday and FOX's Big Noon will broadcast simultaneously from State College for the first time. FOX will carry the game on its Big Noon broadcast.

Third, Penn State is preparing for a potential visit from former President Donald Trump three days before the 2024 election. A "private citizen" invited Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, to the game, Penn State said in a statement. According to his website's events schedule, Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Salem, Virginia, at 4 p.m. ET Saturday. The schedule does not show an appearance at the Penn State-Ohio State game. Penn State already is advising fans to be ready traffic and security issues.

"The U.S. Secret Service is working with University Police and Public Safety and other state and local law enforcement on safety and security measures that are put into place around the presence of presidential candidates," Penn State said in a statement. "With that in mind, we encourage fans, anyone visiting campus, and all those attending the game to arrive early to the game or to their intended destinations."

The game itself already is full of story lines and subplots. Penn State remained unbeaten with a 28-13 win at Wisconsin, in which starting quarterback Drew Allar was injured and did not play the second half. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula completed 11 of 13 passes and led two long scoring drives as the Nittany Lions' rallied from a halftime deficit. Franklin called it a "gutsy culture win."

"I think sometimes we’re too close to it as coaches and fans, and I know we want all the wins to be pretty," Franklin said. "That was one of the prettiest and ugliest wins we’ve had, but that’s the beauty.":

Ohio State (6-1) arrives at Beaver Stadium following a close call against Nebraska. The Buckeyes struggled offensively but scored a late touchdown to escape with a 21-17 victory. After the game, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, who went to high school in Pennsylvania, said he is "stoked" for the trip to Beaver Stadium.

Penn State has not defeated Ohio State since 2016, when the Nittany Lions upset the No. 2 Buckeyes 24-21 at Beaver Stadium on their way to the Big Ten championship. However, three of their seven straight losses have been by one possession, and Ohio State has not won by more than 13 points in its streak.

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