Report: Penn State to Visit Michigan State on Black Friday

A wide-ranging ESPN story on Big Ten media rights includes a major Penn State schedule change.

Matthew O'Haren/USA Today Sports

Penn State will visit Michigan State on Black Friday during the 2023 season, according to a wide-ranging ESPN report on the new Big Ten media rights contract with FOX, NBC and CBS. According to the report, the Penn State-Michigan State game was rescheduled for Nov. 24 before Penn State could agree to the switch. ESPN's Pete Thamel further reported that several schools, including Penn State, agreed to some scheduling concessions as part of a revenue-generating plan that will include more November night games.

The ESPN story paints a complicated picture of the Big Ten's recent media rights negotiations with FOX, NBC and CBS, particularly regarding prime-time games on NBC. According to Thamel, new Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has been "sprinting" to negotiate deals and mollify programs about their schedules. Thamel reports that Petitti is trying to help NBC restore potentially "tens of millions of dollars" of value by negotiating additional November night games and special events like the Black Friday game between Penn State and Michigan State.

Penn State has played Black Friday games in the past, notably against Pitt in the 1970s and '80s. However, the Lions usually scheduled a bye week off before those games. This year, Penn State would be playing its regular-season finale on the road during a short week that includes a holiday. And Penn State already had a scheduling issue with the 2023 football season.

The Lions will open Big Ten play on the road for the eighth consecutive year when they visit Illinois on Sept. 16. Penn State has opened Big Ten play on the road every year but one since 2010. When the Big Ten schedule was announced last year, Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft called the decision "incredibly frustrating and disappointing."

"That shouldn't happen at Penn State," Kraft said at the Big Ten media days in Indianapolis last summer. "We should be at home for our opener. I think it's crazy. That stinks. I did deal with that. I called our friends in the conference, who I love dearly, but that's not right."

Penn State begins the 2023 season at home against West Virginia on Sept. 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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