We are just over two weeks away from Penn State’s 2024 season opener against West Virginia in Morgantown.
The matchup is one of the more challenging non-conference games Penn State has had in recent memory. The Mountaineers are coming off a 9-4 season and are an ascending team hoping to reach the Big 12 title game in December. On the other hand, the Nittany Lions are a team seeking their first College Football Playoff and don’t want to slip up during Week 1.
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USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg ranked the ten best non-conference games of the 2024 season, and Penn State’s matchup versus West Virginia was near the top.
Here is what Myerberg had to say about the anticipated opener:
After saving coach Neal Brown’s job with a nine-win 2023 season, the Mountaineers aim at a conference title in the new-look Big 12. Beating the rival Nittany Lions would validate last year’s growth and paint West Virginia as a definite Top 25 team and a potential playoff threat. It might be a bigger game for Penn State, which could make the playoff as an at-large with two Big Ten losses but would have its back against the wall with a loss to open the year. This is just the second meeting in the longtime series since 1992. The Nittany Lions won 38-15 last year and own a 49-9-2 edge in the rivalry.
Losing to the Mountaineers would put the Nittany Lions behind the eight ball in their quest for a playoff berth, especially with Ohio State and USC later in the year. It won’t be an easy endeavor in Morgantown, but it is a massive game for Penn State to put in the win column.
Other top non-conference games that might interest Penn State fans include USC vs. LSU, Texas at Michigan and Alabama at Wisconsin.
The non-conference slate always delivers in college football, but 2024 seems filled with some fantastic games, including Penn State at West Virginia on August 3.