When Penn State plays in Morgantown Week 1, it will be a big deal.
It will be a big deal for Penn State, a team with national championship aspirations that cannot afford to start 0-1.
It will be a big deal for West Virginia, a program which has had about as much success against Penn State as the Washington Generals have had against the Harlem Globetrotters (Penn State leads the series 49-9-2, with seven of West Virginia’s wins coming before 1956.
For West Virginia coach Neal Brown— who started 2023 on the hot seat and ended it with a 9-4 record— it will also be a big game for the Big 12.
“It’s not just a big game for West Virginia,” Brown said at Big 12 Media Days. “It’s a big game for our league, and it’s an opportunity for our league and this new Big 12, without a couple schools that have been a part of the Big 12 for a long time in that first weekend on a marquee stage, to show what kind of football that we play in this league.”
West Virginia coach Neal Brown on the Week 1 contest against Penn State, and what it means for the rest of the Big 12 at Media Day.
“It’s not just a big game for West Virginia” pic.twitter.com/h3MixMhvmE
— Lyle Alenstein (@LAlenstein) July 17, 2024
The “new Big 12” Brown’s referring to is one without Oklahoma and Texas, who will be playing in the SEC starting this season.
Entering the Big 12 are Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.There was once a time when West Virginia was a Big 12 newbeie, having come over from the Big East before the 2012 season.
Now, West Virginia is a Big 12 vet, and Brown knows beating Penn State would go a long way in re-establishing the new-look league.
“Without a question it’s something, whether it’s West Virginia or any other program in the Big 12 gets those kind of marquee wins, our brand will continue to grow and we’ve got to make some noise in the playoff,” Brown said. “I think Commissioner [Brett] Yormark spoke about this: We’re the most competitive league. I would say we’re the deepest football league in the entire country. But we’ve got to go. TCU had a nice run, but we’ve got to have more wins in the playoff once we get in.”
Penn State and West Virginia are scheduled to kickoff at “Big Noon” on Fox Saturday, Aug. 31.
Brown’s excited about the Big Noon kick.
“We’re fired up about that,” Brown said about the FOX broadcast. “Our fans will be ready for that, too.”
