INDIANAPOLIS — "The hair on my arms is already raising for what the excitement level is going to be like," said FOX Sports College Football Lead Analyst Joel Klatt with a smile.
The fans are coming back this fall. At Beaver Stadium, that means over 100 thousand at full volume, cheering for the Nittany Lions.
But football in Happy Valley won't happen until week two of the season.
"We have a countdown clock in our facility like we do every year, but I must admit having the Wisconsin logo up there, I think, has really raised the standard," said Penn State Head Coach James Franklin. "Our guys know they need to be ready come the first kick of the first game of the season, against a tremendous opponent."
Penn State earned the championship banner that hangs here inside Lucas Oil Stadium in 2016 against Wisconsin in a classic Big Ten title game. The Badgers are eager to host the Nittany Lions at Camp Randall.
"Penn State is always a big challenge and a big opportunity," said Wisconsin Head Coach Paul Chryst. "Their team this year presents a ton of challenges. It's a big game, they're all big games."
"It's always exciting," added Klatt. "It's even better when you couple that with a good match up and now we're going to see fans back for the first time in 19 or 20 months. That one's going to be an insanely good match-up, Gus (Johnson) and I will be there, we're going to have the studio show out there, so it will be fun."
"Our fans are the most electric in the country, so sure, it was kind of weird, but there's no excuses there," said Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields of the 2020 season. "Now we are blessed to be able to go to Wisconsin and then play, I think like five home games so I can't wait."
There are only 43 more days until we see the Nittany Lions and Badgers.