Penn State faces a somewhat challenging 2022 season that will see the Nittany Lions open the year in primetime at Purdue, visit an SEC stadium in Auburn, and make a trip to the home stadium of the defending Big Ten champion Michigan Wolverines that has rarely been kind to them over the years. Oh yeah, and Penn State also has to play Ohio State.
So now that we know what the schedule looks like from start to finish, what are the toughest games on the schedule? How does the way the schedule is mapped out help determine just how difficult a particular matchup could potentially be for the Nittany Lions, who are looking to bounce back after a couple of seasons of .500 football?
This is a ranking of Penn State’s schedule starting with what should be the easiest matchup and working all the way up to the most difficult challenge for Penn State in 2022. A number of factors were taken into consideration in ranking these games including the strength of the opponent as a majority factor. But stadium environments and the flow of the season also is used to formulate this ranking. Is the bye week at a good spot for Penn State? Is a trip to the sEC still a bigger challenge than a visit to Ann Arbor even if Michigan should be a better team than Auburn?
Find out below how the schedule ranks in terms of difficulty level.