You know it is a Saturday in the fall when you hear Big and Rich singing Comin’ to Your City and you see ESPN’s College Gameday is live. The signs, the fans, the food, each week they try to encompass the school and area they are visiting.
This year they have already announced where they will be in week one with stops in Pittsburgh and Columbus. They will be in Pittsburgh for the renewal of the Backyard Brawl between Pittsburgh and West Virginia on Thursday night of Week 1 (odds are you may be watching another game though) before making the short drive to Columbus for Ohio State and Notre Dame. Penn State fans are used to the Gameday crew making appearances in University Park though. Just last year they came to town for Penn State hosting Auburn which marked the ninth time they were in Happy Valley.
This year, however, we look ahead and project some games that could be strong enough to earn coverage from Lee Corso and the crew.
Sept. 17: Auburn Tigers
(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Location: Jordan – Hare Stadium (Auburn, AL)
Reasoning: Auburn is in a crowded SEC West and non-conference games can sometimes make all the difference in the world. For them this game will be critical to them as the season unfolds as well as for the team in general to see what it’s offense will look like led by running back Tanks Bigsby. For Penn State, this is a gigantic road test in just the second week of the season. It will be a great test for a Penn State defense filling a lot of holes under new coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag].
Other notable games that week: Georgia-South Carolina, BYU-Oregon, Michigan State-Washington, and Miami (FL)-Texas A&M
Oct. 15: Michigan Wolverines
Credit: Chris Dunn/York Daily Record via USA TODAY NETWORK
Location: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, MI)
Reasoning: Michigan and Penn State has never disappointed regardless of where the teams could be record-wise. Michigan seems to have finally turned over a new leaf after a successful 2021 and Penn State is in a transition period as well. Could Penn State handle a Michigan team that defeated Ohio State last year or is the offense struggling and maybe forcing a quarterback change after this game? Countless possibilities for where Penn State could be and go from here.
Other notable games that week: LSU–Florida, Alabama–Tennessee, and Stanford-Notre Dame
Oct. 22: Minnesota Golden Gophers
(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Location: Beaver Stadium Stadium (State College,…