Penn State football is back, folks. The No. 19 Nittany Lions are traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for the first time in the James Franklin era to take on Paul Chryst’s No. 12 Badgers.

Both programs are facing lots of uncertainty after coming off four-win 2020 seasons, which puts lots of emphasis on the season opener. Bad things happened the last time Penn State opened its season on the road against a team wearing red, so the Nittany Lions will surely be looking for a different result this time around.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Penn State’s first game of the year.

Television

Saturday’s matchup will kick off at 12 p.m. EST on FOX. Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt will be on the call, while Jenny Taft will provide updates from the sidelines.

Radio

Penn State Sports Network — Steve Jones and Jack Ham
Local: 99.5 & 103.7 FM/1450 AM, Sirius/XM/Internet: 136/196/958

Weather

It’s going to feel like a classic Big Ten football game in Madison Saturday. Temperatures will be in the high 60s throughout the game, but don’t expect the sun to make an experience. Expect a sticky 86% humidity and a dew point of 63 degrees at 11 a.m. Wisconsin time.

There’s an 11% chance of rain at kickoff, according to Accuweather. Chance of precipitation will get as high as 51% during the game.

Last Meeting

These two teams last met in 2018 when Penn State pulled off a 22-10 win at Beaver Stadium. Miles Sanders ran for 159 yards and a touchdown while Trace McSorley picked up his 29th win as the Nittany Lions’ quarterback.

Penn State holds a slight 10-9 all-time series edge over the Badgers and is currently boasting a four-game win streak. This is the first time James Franklin has traveled to Camp Randall Stadium as the Nittany Lions’ head coach.

Injuries/Suspensions

Since Penn State typically only reports season-ending injuries, we only know that defensive end Adisa Isaac will miss Saturday’s matchup. He sustained an injury over the offseason and likely won’t be healthy during the 2021 season.

Wisconsin’s Cole Dakovich and Duncan McKinley are out for the year. Tyler Beach, Travian Blaylock, C.J. Goetz, Aaron Witt, Stephan Bracey, Ayo Adebogun, and Jake Chaney were all also on the Badgers’ training camp injury report.

Regarding the coronavirus, we won’t know until kickoff if anyone has tested positive.

Betting Lines

Wisconsin is currently a 5.5-point favorite, according to Oddsshark. The over/under is set at 49.5 points.

Media Coverage

Onward State will have you covered throughout today’s game. You can find big plays, photos, analysis, and more on our main @OnwardState Twitter account and Facebook page, and we’ll also provide play-by-play commentary from @OnwardStSports.

Football writers Gabe Angieri (@gabeangieri), Ryan Parsons (@rjparsons9), and Will Pegler (@gritdude) will have you covered from inside of Camp Randall Stadium’s press box.

Photographer Samuel Brungo (@samuelbrungo) will provide visual updates from the field as well.

Onward State

• Staff Picks: Penn State Football’s 2021 Breakout Player
• Penn State Ticket Demand Ranks Second In College Football
• Looking For A Penn State Football Depth Chart? Don’t Bother
• Penn State Football Announces Captains For 2021 Season
• Mike Yurcich To Call Penn State’s Plays From The Field
• Staff Predictions: Penn State Football’s 2021 Record
• Penn State Football-Wisconsin’s History By The Numbers
• Key Takeaways From James Franklin’s Week One Press Conference
• Projecting Penn State Football’s 2021 Depth Chart
• Staff Predictions: No. 19 Penn State vs. No. 12 Wisconsin
• Introducing Penn State Football Scorigami
• Previewing The Enemy: Wisconsin Badgers
• The Official Penn State-Wisconsin Drinking Game