Penn State Campus Braces For Madness As Ohio State Matchup Looms In Happy

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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The chaos around the campus of Penn State hasn’t slowed down since last weekend when Donald Trump held a rally. But now that the campaign stumping has passed, it’s time to turn the attention to the biggest game in college football this weekend, with Ohio State heading to town.

One of the biggest games in recent memory inside Beaver Stadium has brought a massive amount of attention from pregame shows from FOX and ESPN, who will both be setup outside the basketball arena that entails a beautiful backdrop for Saturday morning.

It’s not often that you get both networks broadcasting from the same location, but this isn’t a normal game, as the Big Ten will be at the forefront just days before the first college football playoff rankings are unveiled Tuesday night.

And judging by the amount of folks looking for tickets around the campus on a Thursday afternoon, this one is going to be expensive to attend. As for former president Donald Trump canceling his appearance for the game this weekend, it turned into a blessing for those hoping to avoid further madness on Saturday morning. It’s not as if Trump was going to stay for the entire game, as plans called for him to leave at halftime so that he could attend a rally.

Beaver Stadium will host one of the biggest college football games this season, as Ohio State visits Penn State Via: Trey Wallace

Thank goodness, because the last thing folks around here want to deal with on game day is long lines and homeland security making the pregame atmosphere more of a political movement. This game deserves all the attention for what’s happening on the field, not in some suite overlooking the field. But that’s just my opinion, and its shared by folks around the university.

The scenes outside the stadium on Thursday afternoon featured Penn State students setting up camp in Nittanyville, so that they could get the best seats possible in the student section that will be electrifying on Saturday.

“I got here Tuesday night so that I could get setup and have my spot in line for my friends as well,” one Penn State student told OutKick on Thursday. “They have sections setup for us, but not really seat numbers, so this place will only get crazier as Friday comes. This is what we live for, and this one is huge. I could’ve sold my ticket for 400 bucks, but I wasn’t going to pass this one up.”

Penn State students are setup in Nittanyville for tickets to the Ohio State game on Saturday Via: Trey Wallace

This Has To Be The Game For Penn State To Get Over The Buckeye Hump

There are expectations around campus that this is the year that Penn State and James Franklin get overt the perceived ‘Big Game’ hump, while beating Ohio State in the process.

To say folks are nervous would be an understatement, which is the sentiment of a number of folks I spoke with on Thursday afternoon. Yes, Penn State is undefeated this season, and look like a playoff team with national championship-type qualities, but there are still those that need to see it to believe it.

Signs are already being displayed on Penn State campus ahead of Ohio State game on Saturday Via: Trey Wallace

As I walked around the stadium on Thursday afternoon, there were a few Ohio State fans that had already arrived for the game, snapping pictures in front of Beaver Stadium, while bragging about what they thought would be another win this weekend.

“When has James Franklin beaten Ryan Day?,” Tommy from Columbus, Ohio said to OutKick, though I have a feeling that’s not his real name. “They (Penn State) fold under pressure, Franklin is 0-5 against (Ryan) Day and hasn’t beaten us since 2016. “Yea, there’s a reason why were positive about this game. And they had a massive advantage with a potential night game, and they couldn’t even get that due to the network.

“We came here to see a win, and I expect to be celebrating with a few beers after the game ends.”

Big Noon Kickoff setup outside of Beaver Stadium for Ohio State versus Penn State Via: Trey Wallace

Ok, that’s some type of confidence for a team that’s struggled on offense recently, and will most likely be without their starting tackles on Saturday. But, it wouldn’t be a rivalry game without some trash talk, which those wearing red will hear a lot of on game day. I welcome it all, give me the hostile exchanging of words between fans, just keep the violence on the field.

But this is a different game, in a totally new era of college football, with the inaugural 12-team playoff coming in December. The loser of this game will still have a shot at making the postseason, and still fight for a national title, though it would be the second loss of the season for the Buckeyes.

There’s no doubt that the environment will live up to expectations on Saturday afternoon, and judging by the atmosphere with two days until kickoff, this is going to be one football game to remember. No matter what happens during the game, the atmosphere around campus is already reaching a boiling point.