The annual Land Grant Trophy game between Penn State and Michigan State will be played on Black Friday this November, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Sunday.
NEW: A look inside the issues new Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti is facing – “horse trading” to complete NBC TV deal, schools irked at tens of millions in overall lost revenue and coaches unhappy about transparency from the TV contract. https://t.co/3WTOBDBLC8
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) May 21, 2023
In a large story written by Thamel titled “How an unfinished TV deal led to an unexpectedly hectic first month for the new Big Ten commissioner,” Thamel reported that the two schools will play Friday, Nov. 24, instead of Saturday, Nov. 25, “to make short-term sacrifices to help the league make up for some lost revenue from the NBC deal.”
”Penn State will play on the road in a short week on Black Friday against Michigan State,” Thamel wrote, “a game that was scheduled before Penn State agreed to it.”
NBC, along with CBS and Fox, will be carrying Big Ten football starting this season. Thamel reported that the NBC portion of the deal is incomplete.
As a result, Penn State and Michigan State will be playing on Black Friday at a time and channel to be determined.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State and Michigan State typically play at 3:30, with the Ohio State-Michigan game starting at noon.
Now, that’s up in the air.
Additionally, Ohio State’s game against Michigan State scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11, in Columbus, will be a night game at the latest date Ohio Stadium has hosted one in its 100+ year history.
“This is what he’s (Petitti’s) walking into right now,” an industry source told ESPN. “Tony is trying to save it, and what Penn State and Ohio State are doing is actually trying to minimize the losses.”
The Nittany Lions have won three of the last four meetings with Michigan State, the most recent one being a 35-16 win at Beaver Stadium in last year’s regular-season finale. Whoever wins this game will take the series lead. The schools are tied 18-18-1, and another tie is highly unlikely.
