Folks, 2025 was a wild ride for Penn State football.

From a six-game skid and James Franklin’s firing to a Pinstripe Bowl victory, the Nittany Lion faithful truly saw it all. We followed the team from beautiful Los Angeles to icy New York, and saw all of the ups and downs to paint the craziest Penn State football story in a long time.

At the heart of each stop was the food. One of the best parts of traveling around the country covering the Nittany Lions is experiencing that place’s unique culture through its food. The majority of our food experience also took place where our magic happens: the press box.

If you’ve ever wondered how some of the premier college football programs treat visiting journalists, here’s a comprehensive ranking of press box food around the Big Ten.

N/A: Iowa

I made the trip to every Penn State football game this season except Iowa. Fortunately, my fellow beat writers Collin Ward and Cooper Cazares were in Kinnick Stadium for the first game of the post-James Franklin era.

They still hold to this day that Iowa had the best food and hospitality throughout the whole season. From the picture, it sure looks like this would have easily topped my rankings. Unfortunately, it can’t make the cut if it never went in my mouth. Sorry, Iowa.

No. 6: Michigan State

I have had MAJOR beef to settle with Michigan State since November 15. It was supposed to be a day of joy and the step away from six heartbreaking Penn State losses. While it was the turning of the tide for the Nittany Lions’ disastrous season behind a monstrous 181-yard, two-touchdown Kaytron Allen performance, my stomach didn’t feel satisfied.

Michigan State had a weird voucher system for visiting journalists. We received one voucher that was only good for concession items within the stadium and the concession stand in the press box. That’s where the issue lies. Why is a concession stand the food source in the press box? I want food, not snacks.

I had to make my decision carefully. Once we used our voucher, we had to pay for the concessions. I got a hot dog and popcorn, but the most popular item was the walking taco. I’m not a big walking taco fan, even here on campus at Fresco, so I skipped out.

The hot dog was a hot dog, and the popcorn was popcorn. It was nothing special. It kind of sucked because I absolutely loved Michigan State. It was one of the nicest press boxes we visited and had unlimited fountain drinks (they cut them off literally the second the final whistle blew, but it was still nice).

Invest in some actual food for people covering your aimless program, Michigan State. It’s the small things that count. Shoutout for the cool popcorn container, at least.

No. 5: Ohio State

Cooper, Collin, and I obviously didn’t go into this matchup the way we expected, but we were all still super excited to be in such a historic stadium and true palace of college football. I thought it would be so cool to see the home of a reigning National Champion and I can’t lie, I did have some blind optimism going in.

It was a noon kick in Columbus, so the lovely Ohio Stadium staff rolled out an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet for us. While it was a simple eggs, potatoes, and fruit buffet, it didn’t knock my socks off; the ALL-YOU-CAN-DRINK MCCAFÉ SMOOTHIES DID.

You read that right. Anybody who knows me knows I’m the biggest sucker for McDonalds’ strawberry-banana smoothies. Let’s just say I thrashed those smoothies like Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith thrashed the Nittany Lions.

No. 4: UCLA

Ah, our first road trip of the season. How naive we were. Some despicable events clearly unfolded in the Rose Bowl on October 4, but UCLA fed us well, for the most part.

I took a burger, a hot dog, and some greens before kickoff. Drinks were readily available in large fridges near the back of the press box. While the food was good, there was still something off about it that I can’t put my finger on to this day. The sausage was incredibly hard to chew. The burger was the most average burger I’ve ever had.

That day brings back bad memories, and the food doesn’t make me reflect on it any more kindly. It was good. It was fine.

UCLA’s biggest food downfall was one thing that’s very constant on this list: our food was limited. We had a perforated meal ticket at the bottom of our credentials that the steward took as we went up for our first serving. Once we got our first meal, we couldn’t get seconds. That sucks. Do better.

No. 3: Rutgers

Rutgers’ hospitality was amazing. I loved every second of a Scarlet Knights gameday. From the boardwalk to the bonkers game to the cannon tradition, it sneakily rose up the ranks of my favorite away game experience of the year.

It definitely was the most dated press box we worked in, but it was a very fun atmosphere. Rutgers immediately entered my good graces with a much-needed item on the chilly New Jersey day: hot chocolate. I probably drank four cups of hot chocolate. So amazing.

Staff rolled out a variety of sandwiches pregame. I indulged in a roast beef sandwich and tomato soup, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Not bad, just not my thing. Halftime rolled around, and there they were in all their glory: SHI Stadium chili dogs. If you know, you know. I was in love. I still haven’t gotten over how delectable those dawgs were.

Rutgers, thank you.

No. 2: Penn State

I made so many amazing memories in Beaver Stadium this season, and the food still stands at the front of my mind. I want to personally thank the staff for always satisfying our hunger game in and game out. The rollout of chicken tenders, greens, pasta salad, cookies, and hot dogs is simple, diverse, and effective. And it’s all-you-can-eat. Nobody is doing it like Beaver Stadium. I eagerly await my return.

No. 1: Pinstripe Bowl

The football gods really saved the best for last for me. If you told me in August that Penn State’s season would end in Yankee Stadium against Clemson, I would have found some very creative ways to call you clinically insane.

Nevertheless, there we were, bundled up in Yankee Stadium’s open-air press box. This might be a bit of an unfair advantage since Yankee Stadium is a professional stadium with much better facilities than the Spartan and Ohio Stadiums of the world, but those folks know how to serve some top-notch grub.

We got breakfast and lunch, and I enjoyed every bite. While I hope Penn State ends 2026 in the College Football Playoff, I wouldn’t be opposed to another visit to the Bronx solely for the food. It was a bittersweet ending for Penn State, but a delicious one for me.