Penn State and the rest of the Big Ten opted to play a conference-only schedule in 2020 after modifying the season due to the impact and concern of the COVID-19 pandemic. That scrapped three games from Penn State’s schedule, but two of those games have now officially been rescheduled.
On Thursday, Penn State announced the addition of three games to the future non-conference slate, two of which are opponents originally scheduled for 2020. Penn State will host Kent State in 2024 and San Jose State in 2026 after both teams were unable to make the trip to Beaver Stadium in 2020. In addition, Penn State announced a future matchup with Marshall, also to be played in 2026.
Penn State will host Kent State of the MAC on September 21, 2024. Penn State leads the all-time series 6-0.
The Nittany Lions will host Marshall in a season opener on Sept. 5, 2026. The two programs have not played a game against each other since 1930, with Penn State owning a 65-0 decision in their favor. Penn State is 2-0 against the Thundering Herd, who are now coached by former Penn State assistant Charles Huff.
Penn State will play host to San Jose State of the Mountain West Conference on Sept. 19, 2026. Penn State has never faced the Spartans before.
Penn State now has a fully booked schedule through the 2024 season with nine Big Ten games and three non-conference games currently scheduled for each season. The 2026 season is also full, although the Big Ten schedule for that season has not been officially released at this time. Penn State will also face Temple in non-conference play in 2026.
There are still two non-conference scheduling vacancies to fill in the 2025 season. A non-conference game against Villanova is the only game outside the Big Ten currently scheduled for Penn State in 2025.
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