In 2020, Penn State football was scheduled to head to Blacksburg, Virginia, for a clash with Virginia Tech. And in 2025, Virginia Tech was supposed to make the trek to Happy Valley to play in Beaver Stadium. The Hokies and Nittany Lions had never played each other in football, with the home-and-home slated to be the first of such occasions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all non-conference games were canceled for the 2020 season. With Virginia Tech playing in the ACC and Penn State in the Big Ten, the two squads would no longer face off as a result of the decision. 

Subsequently, Virginia Tech announced that it would no longer play the Nittany Lions in State College because the blue and white could not uphold its end of the agreement by playing in Lane Stadium. With a gap in its 2025 schedule, Penn State announced that it would be replacing the Virginia Tech game with a non-Power 4 opponent in FIU.

A few weeks ago, James Franklin announced that he would be taking the head coach position at Virginia Tech in the wake of being fired from Penn State after nearly 12 seasons with the Nittany Lions.

With Franklin now in Blacksburg, and the out-of-conference slate lacking formidable opponents for the foreseeable future, what better time to reschedule the home-and-home to energize the fanbase?

However you may have felt about Franklin, there’s no doubt that his return to Beaver Stadium would be electric. And for a man who has called the Penn State faithful the best fans in the country for over a decade, would he change his tune in favor of the burnt orange and maroon? Needless to say, the drama leading up to the game would be through the roof.

This is not to mention that the atmosphere in Blacksburg is also elite. With many Penn State alumni having ties to the Virginia area, you could expect an invasion of Lane Stadium as thousands would gather to watch Franklin and company enter to Metallica’s Enter Sandman for a battle against the coach’s former squad.

If Penn State wants to earn more respect for its strength of schedule and inject some life into the team early in the season, it’s time to reschedule the home-and-home against Virginia Tech. It would be an exciting series and would bring in lots of dough to two schools with great fan bases.

Plus, Penn State should win both matchups with ease. Franklin can’t win the big one, right?