The start of a new season is finally upon us, and our staff at Nittany Lions Wirew could not be happier to see the return of Penn State football. Each week throughout the season we will be sharing our quick thoughts and predictions for the game of the week, starting with Penn State’s season opener against West Virginia.
Penn State will host the Mountaineers in the first meeting between the two former regional rivals since 1992. The all-time series results weigh heavily in Penn State’s favor over the years and the Nittany Lions are a big favorite at home to start the 2023 season.
Penn State’s primetime season opener will air on NBC as the first official primetime game on the Big Ten’s new media rights deal with the network. NBC could not have asked for a better setting to kickstart their Big Ten partnership as Beaver Stadium will be electric with the helmet stripe game, or as James Franklin called it a mini whiteout. Either way, the crowd will be energized for the start of what could be a fun year in Happy Valley, and having an old regional rival in town should rekindle some good memories for fans who remember the pre-Big Ten era fondly.
Here is how we see the game playing out this weekend. In short, Penn State should be in good shape.
Brad Wakai, Contributor
Saturday should be an interesting opener for Penn State facing a hungry West Virginia team that is thinking upset. However, there is too much talent on the Nittany Lions roster and they eventually run away from the Mountaineers using their running game and defense
Final score: Penn State 35, West Virginia 14
Kevin McGuire, Editor
The recipe for a season-opening win in primetime is pretty simple. Let the defense cook and let the running game take care of business on offense. Penn State simply has too much talent in those areas to allow for this game to be a…
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