For the first time in nearly half a century, the Penn State Nittany Lions will play the opening game of a football season under a head coach not named Joe Paterno. For the first time in nearly a decade, their opponent on the first Saturday of the college football season will be rather formidable. The Ohio Bobcats are not your typical cream puff opponent that high profile programs often schedule in the opener.
There are many great pre-game traditions which surround Penn State football - the bus, the flip, and of course the stadium wide "We Are" Chant - but before all those get underway, there is Football Eve. Entrance and parking are free, festivities start at 6, and the pep rally begins at 7pm.
Each Friday, Onward State will be bringing you predictions from various staff members for the next day's Penn State game. Along with a score prediction will be a brief explanation and a few key players to watch. You might disagree with what some of us think. That's fine, just attempt to remain respectful. Now, let's all attempt to have a real good time and make some picks.
Joe Posnanski's highly-anticipated biography "Paterno" will debut as number one on the New York Times bestsellers list this month, publisher Simon & Schuster confirmed to ESPN.
Public Relations officer Allen Sheffield emphasized that the new chant and the campout itself shows "evidence that #ONETEAM isn't just a hashtag for twitter, it's a movement."
Today, Onward State debuts a new weekly for the college football season. "50 Stats for Saturday" will attempt to give some tidbits that your usual game preview would not.