When the Buckeyes host the Nittany Lions on Nov. 1 it will be one of the B1G’s most important games.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about this season’s marquee matchups. Whether they feature the Buckeyes, other Big Ten schools, or major teams across the country. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Game of the Year” articles here.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are all-in on the 2025 season. With key starters returning — a la the 2024 Buckeyes — and Ohio State and Oregon needing to reload (especially at the quarterback position), James Franklin’s Nitts haven’t been this well positioned to finally get over the hump and make a run at a national championship in years.
That’s what makes this year’s Ohio State-Penn State matchup my Game of the Year in the Big Ten.
The stakes will be as high as they’ve ever been, and Franklin’s team will be as loaded as it can be. Add in the arrival of former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles calling the Lions’ defense, and there is plenty of intrigue and animosity packed into the revenge-iest revenge game of Frankin’s time in Happy Valley.
Franklin became Penn State’s head coach in 2014, based in large part on making perennial doormat Vanderbilt into a competitive team, yet his only win in the OSU-PSU series came in 2016 at Beaver Stadium and required a colossal failure of Ohio State’s special teams to turn the game in Penn State’s favor.
The Nittany Lions had scored 10 straight points to cut the Buckeye lead from 21-7 to 21-17 in the fourth quarter. With a little over four minutes remaining, Ohio State faced a fourth down at Penn State’s 31-yard line. It was a 48-yard field goal from there, so Urban Meyer debated his decision before rushing out kicker Tyler Durbin and his field goal unit.
The fire drill turned into a five-alarm blaze when Marcus Allen blocked the kick and Grant Haley ran it back 71 yards for what was ultimately the winning score. The entire chain of events could have been avoided with a simple timeout, but it instead handed Franklin his only victory in the series.
The pressure is on Franklin. This must be the year to get over the hump, or it might never happen. Ohio State has won the last eight consecutive meetings, 12 of the last 13 (with the exception being the game described above), and the last six in a row in Columbus.
Ohio State will have a new quarterback, an entirely new defensive line, key newcomers along the offensive line, new running backs, and replacements at other positions as well. Meanwhile, this is PSU quarterback and Medina native Drew Allar’s last opportunity to get a signature win over the school from his home state.
The Buckeyes will get Penn State’s best shot, which is generally the case, but this time the Nittany Lions may have a desperation we’ve not yet seen under Franklin, and the apparent bad blood between Ryan Day and Knowles makes this matchup extra spicy.
Ohio State is one of only two highly ranked opponents on Penn State’s 2025 schedule, with the other being Oregon in Happy Valley. (Penn State also hosts Indiana, but I’m not ready yet to believe the Hoosiers will replicate what they did in 2024.) The Oregon at Penn State game is scheduled for Sept. 27, so it’s possible the Nitts could arrive in Columbus with only the Buckeyes standing between them and an undefeated regular season.
The Buckeyes, should they fall in the opener to Texas, may also play with desperation, because even though it’s possible to reach the College Football Playoff with two losses, it is not advisable to leave that kind of decision in the hands of the voters.
All signs point to Penn State at Ohio State being the biggest game in the Big Ten in 2025, and one of the most compelling anywhere in college football during the season ahead.