Penn State will renew some rivalries on the football field in the Fall of 2014. The Big Ten released the conference schedule for the first year of expansion and the Nittany Lions slate now features a home game with Maryland and a trip to Rutgers.
The following is the official release from the PSU athletics department with details about their upcoming opponents:
Penn State will welcome Maryland and Michigan State back to Beaver Stadium and play at Rutgers for the first time since 1955 next year as the Big Ten Conference office today announced the conference football schedule for the 2014 season.
During the 2014 season, the Big Ten will welcome a pair of the Nittany Lions’ oldest rivals in Maryland and Rutgers, as they join Penn State, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State in the Big Ten’s East Division.
The Terrapins will visit Beaver Stadium on Nov. 1, 2014 for the first time since a Sept. 26, 1992 contest. Penn State and Maryland have met 37 times, with the first meeting in 1917 and the last contest in 1993 in College Park. From 1960-93, the Nittany Lions and Terrapins played every year except 1976, ‘81 and ‘83.
Coach Bill O’Brien’s Nittany Lions also will host East Division foes Ohio State (Oct. 25) and Michigan State (Nov. 29) in 2014. Penn State and Ohio State have met 28 times, including every year since 1993. The Nittany Lions and Spartans will end the 2014 regular season against each other as they did from 1993-2010 in the battle for the Land Grant Trophy. Penn State also will host West Division foe Northwestern in the Big Ten home opener on Sept. 27.
Penn State will provide the opposition for the Scarlet Knights’ first Big Ten game, on Sept. 13, 2014 in Piscataway, N.J. The clash also will be opening game of the Big Ten’s 119th football season. The Nittany Lions have played Rutgers nine times in New Jersey, but the last six meetings came at Giants Stadium, most recently in 1995. Penn State has played at Rutgers in 1951, ’53 and ’55. The teams have met 24 times, with the first game in 1918 and the last meeting in 1995. From 1977-95, the Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights played every season except in 1980 and ’81.
The Nittany Lions also will visit East Division rivals Michigan (Oct. 11) and Indiana (Nov. 8), as well as West Division foe Illinois (Nov. 22) during the 2014 campaign.
Penn State will have two open dates during the 2014 campaign, as it does this year, and has one non-conference game remaining to be scheduled. The Nittany Lions are scheduled to host Temple in the Aug. 30 season opener. Akron (Sept. 6) and Massachusetts (Sept. 20) also will visit Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions and Minutemen will be meeting for the first time.
Big Ten teams will play eight conference games from 2013-15, with a nine-game conference schedule starting in 2016. The Nittany Lions will play their six East Division rivals and three West Division teams that rotate starting in 2016. Penn State and all East Division teams will have five Big Ten home games in 2016 and in even-numbered years thereafter.
The Big Ten will hold the 2013 Football Media Days and 42nd annual Kickoff Luncheon on Wednesday and Thursday, July 24 and 25, at the Hilton Chicago, featuring all 12 head coaches and some of the nation’s top returning players. The 118th season of Big Ten football kicks off Thursday, August 29.
Penn State returns 16 starters and 38 letterwinners for this season, its 21st in the Big Ten. Season tickets are available for the 2013 campaign. The Nittany Lions will host five bowl teams from 2012, including three teams that finished in the BCS Top 25: Michigan (Oct. 12-Homecoming), Nebraska (Nov. 23) and Kent State (Sept. 21). Purdue, Illinois, UCF and Eastern Michigan also will visit Beaver Stadium this fall.