STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The Big Ten Conference on Wednesday announced plans for a revised, 10-game, conference-only football schedule for a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The news alters the 2020 schedule for Penn State, which will now open the season against Northwestern on Saturday, Sept. 5.
The Nittany Lions visit Michigan on Sept. 19 and host Ohio State on Nov. 7.
Other big games on the slate include a home game with Michigan State on Sept. 26 and a visit to Nebraska on Oct. 31.
The Nittany Lions will begin preseason practice on Friday.
Season ticket holders will be emailed information regarding the 2020 football season Thursday morning, Penn State said.
The Big Ten schedule will span 12 weeks, with each team having two open dates. The schedule was constructed in a way that allows season to start as early as the weekend of Sept. 5, but also provides the ability to move the start of the season back to Sept. 12, 19 or 26 through strategic sequencing that allows games to be moved to a latter part of the schedule, according to Penn State.
The Big Ten Championship Game remains scheduled for Dec. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, though it could be moved as late as Dec. 19, the conference said.
2020 Penn State Football Schedule
Sept. 5: Northwestern
Sept. 12 at Indiana
Sept. 19 at Michigan
Sept. 26 Michigan State
Oct. 3 at Rutgers
Oct. 17 Maryland
Oct. 24 Iowa
Oct. 31 at Nebraska
Nov. 7 Ohio State
Nov. 21 at Illinois
Dec. 5 Big Ten Championship Game
Game times will be announced at a later date.
Here are the Big Ten's 2020 COVID-19 medical protocols, which the conference also released Wednesday:
