A schedule change has Penn State football playing on a Friday night for the first time since 2019.
Adam Rittenberg of ESPN first reported early Tuesday afternoon that Penn State’s clash against Northwestern, which had been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, will now be the night before in Evanston, Illinois.
This will be Northwestern’s first game at New Ryan Field, which cost $862 million to build.
Rittenberg also reported that Northwestern will play its first two home games against South Dakota State and Colorado at its temporary on-campus lakefront stadium. Additionally, Northwestern has played for a fall 2026 stadium opening since late 2024. The old Ryan Field began being demolished in February of that year.
Penn State has historically handled Northwestern, with an overall series record of 16-6.
But Northwestern currently has the upper hand.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.When the teams met in Happy Valley this past season, Northwestern shocked Penn State as a three-touchdown underdog.
It ended up being the last game James Franklin would coach for Penn State, with PSU firing him early the next afternoon.
Northwestern went 3-3 against Penn State in the Franklin era, which is a better record than most people would guess. With that said, it must be noted that two of those wins came in Franklin’s first two seasons, where he was rebuilding the program that had been rocked by the Jerry Sandusky scandal and subsequent sanctions.
Since Penn State got back on its feet, it has done quite well against the Wildcats, with its three wins coming by an average of more than three touchdowns.
