Aug 30, 2024 - Sports

How Penn State fits into the expanded Big Ten

big ten football helmet sits on table — Big Ten football is about to have a big season. Photo: Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After months of anticipation, the newly expanded Big Ten football conference took the field yesterday, including a Rutgers' 44-7 win over Howard.

The big picture: The traditionally Midwestern conference added USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon, making the Big Ten — which now actually has 18 teams — a bit more coastal, much like when Rutgers and Maryland were added in 2014. It's now the largest conference in college athletics.

The Big Ten's raiding of the Pac-12 also makes it the second-strongest conference in college football behind the SEC.

Zoom in: No. 8 Penn State enters as favorite against West Virginia in its Saturday season opener, a series that the Nittany Lions have dominated since it started in 1904.

Penn State won 10 games last year for the fifth time under head coach James Franklin, but two of its three losses were to Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan.

What they're saying: The new-look conference is "going to be good for college football," Franklin told Fox Sports' Joel Klatt.

Penn State is playing the best schedule it has "ever played before."

The intrigue: Excitement for the remixed conference is so high, it helped college football tickets climb to a 42% year-over-year increase.

Go deeper: New procedures ... and get to know the stacked conference

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How Penn State fits into the expanded Big Ten

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