Breaking Down Penn State's New 2021 Football Schedule
The Big Ten released a revised 2021 football schedule Friday, one that accommodates adjustments made during the 2020 season.
Penn State's schedule did not see changes to opponents or game locations. The revisions involved game dates that will substantially change the schedule's tenor.
Here's a look at the schedule, before and after.
Michigan-Ohio State games separated
Perhaps the biggest change involved Penn State's back-to-back games vs. Michigan and Ohio State in November. That would have marked a grueling two weeks.
Instead, those games are separated by a week. Penn State visits Ohio State on Oct. 30 and hosts Michigan on Nov. 13 as originally scheduled. A visit to Maryland, which defeated Penn State 35-19 last season, now is sandwiched between Michigan and Ohio State.
Michigan State is the finale again
The Land Grant Trophy will be awarded at the conclusion of the regular season once again. Originally. Penn State was scheduled to host Rutgers on Nov. 27, as the Big Ten had moved to make Rutgers or Maryland the season-ending opponent for Penn State.
Instead, the Lions will face Michigan State to close a second consecutive regular season. The game's date shifts by more than a month.
A new bye week
Penn State's open date moves ahead two weeks, from Oct. 2 to Oct. 16, better balancing the schedule better. Penn State will play two six-game segments instead of eight consecutive games in October and November. Coach James Franklin certainly will prefer that timeline.
But the new bye week also will force Penn State to change its Homecoming date, which had been announced for Oct. 16. The easiest switch would be to move it ahead one week to the Oct. 23 game against Illinois.
Back-to-back road games
Penn State's original schedule did not include consecutive Big Ten road or home games. The new schedule features back-to-back road trips to Ohio State and Maryland and consecutive home games vs. Michigan and Rutgers. Penn State will be on the road for three of its last five games.
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