4 Final Thoughts Before Penn State Football Faces West Virginia

 

After months of talk and buildup, Penn State Football kicks off against West Virginia in under 24 hours.

The matchup between the regional rivals has been billed as one of the top games of the week, with Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s Pat McAfee show traveling to Morgantown ahead of Saturday’s game.

While the predictions and key matchups have already been laid out, here are four final thoughts ahead of Penn State’s season opener against the Mountaineers.

Penn State Football vs. West Virginia Final Thoughts

Atmosphere will be electric despite the small stadium capacity

West Virginia went out of its way to make sure that Saturday is the most hyped home game for the WVU program since the 1990s.

Bringing back former WVU legends Pat White and Pat McAfee (among others), scheduling Machine Gun Kelly to perform ahead of kickoff, and bringing Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff to town, WVU’s atmosphere should rival one of the best environments Penn State has faced despite a stadium capacity of only 60,000.

The hype for West Virginia’s program is the highest its been in over a decade and the Mountaineers are desperate for an upset. Penn State will need to start quickly to avoid letting the crowd help the Mountaineers capitalize on early momentum.

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Weather could play a factor

The weather could play a factor during Saturday’s game, with scattered thunderstorms in the area and around a 50 percent chance of rain during game time.

In the event of a lightning delay, Penn State will need to avoid a second coming of 2017’s loss to Michigan State when Penn State sat in the visitor locker room for three hours before losing on a last-second field goal by the Spartans.

Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and the Penn State offensive line must be ready for a ground attack if the weather takes a turn for the worst Saturday.

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History could be on Penn State’s Side

Action Network’s Brett McMurphy took to Twitter Friday to discuss Penn State’s record in games when Penn State is at least a touchdown favorite.

According to the post by McMurphy, Penn State has “won 24 consecutive games under James Franklin” in games when Penn State is favored by at least a touchdown. McMurphy further points out that in those games Penn State is a remarkable 19-4-1 vs the spread. With the spread sitting just over a touchdown (either -7.5 or -8.5 depending on the betting site), history could be in Penn State’s favor Saturday.

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Win, just win

After seeing a top-10 Florida State team get upset last weekend, Penn State Football fans must remember that escaping with a win on Saturday is enough, even though covering or nice style points would be nice.

As long as Penn State finds a way to grind out a win, Penn State fans should return home happy ahead of two tune-up games before Big Ten play starts.

No matter what happens, Penn State Football is officially back for the 2024 season on Saturday afternoon. Saturday’s game could either be a launching pad toward a run at the College Football Playoff, or a huge hurdle to overcome to reach the playoff for the first time in program history.

See you Saturday, Nittany Nation for one of Penn State’s 12 guaranteed games in 2024.

MORE: Picks, Predictions for Penn State at West Virginia

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