Penn State – Iowa: The Rematch

Penn State Live just announced that Penn State will open its Big Ten football season next year against Iowa in primetime on either ESPN or ABC.

The game, a rematch of last year’s heartbreaking defeat that dashed Penn State’s National Title hopes, will be at Beaver Stadium on September 26th.

The showdown promises to give the commentators plenty to discuss. Flashbacks will abound. Penn State fans will be sad, thinking about what could have been in ’08. That being said, we should probably triumph this time around.

Penn State is no stranger to televised games.

Every Nittany Lion game has been televised the past five seasons and 177 of the last 179 Penn State games overall have been on TV. Since 1995, Penn State has had 161 regular season telecasts, tops in the Big Ten.

A Penn State game owns the top four spots and eight of the 12 all-time among the highest rated Big Ten football games on ESPN. The Nittany Lions’ win over Michigan State during the unbeaten 1994 Big Ten Championship season remains the highest rated Big Ten game on ESPN with a 5.40 rating. The Nittany Lions’ pulsating win over the Buckeyes in 2005 earned a 4.91 rating, the Big Ten’s second highest on ESPN.

With Penn State’s tremendous alumni base, it’s easy to see why networks are so keen on broadcasting games from Happy Valley.

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