Greg McElroy emphasizes the importance of Penn State vs. West Virginia in Week 1

Week 1 college football season will feature several marquee matchups that will undoubtedly help shape this year’s College Football Playoff picture, especially now that the field has expanded to 12. ESPN’s Greg McElroy believes that the season opener showdown between the Penn State Nittany Lions and West Virginia Mountaineers will be significant in how the 2024 bowl season shakes out.

“I cannot emphasize how important this game is potentially for the Big 12,” started McElroy. “For Penn State, this is just a really difficult non-conference game; it’s a really difficult non-conference opener. One, you travel into a place that’s extremely hard to play. It’s gonna be absolutely insane when you walk into Morgantown, and you got to play in that level of hostility [in] Week 1. That being said, I think back to what Penn State has excelled at in the last few years.

“They’ve been unbelievable defensively. One of the best in the country, top-three in several metrics, [they] have given up less than 14 points per game. The only two teams that have fared better than that are Michigan and Ohio State. Last year, if you look at the amount of yards given up, defensively, Penn State was at the top. So this is a defense that has been amazing. The black eye last year was the Michigan game. Overall, James Franklin has been great in games like this. He’s 80 and 18 against everyone not named Michigan and Ohio State.”

This is the second game of the Penn State-West Virginia home-and-home series. In last year’s season opener, the Nittany Lions defended their home stadium, picking up the 38-15 victory thanks to their defense’s ability to shut down the Mountaineers’ offense. It also didn’t hurt that quarterback Drew Allar put together a stellar season opener, connecting on 21-29 pass attempts for 325 yards and three passing touchdowns.

According to McElroy, not only is this Week 1 non-conference showdown huge for West Virginia’s postseason aspirations, but it is also significant for the Big 12 in general. In terms of the strength of the conference, the Big Ten and SEC are largely viewed as superior to the ACC and Big 12.

As for Penn State, this non-conference season opener will be arguably their toughest in recent history. However, it could be just what head coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lions need to start the 2024 campaign off red hot. And it does help that the Penn State head coach has an impressive record against Power 5 programs not named Michigan or Ohio State.

Speaking of the Wolverines, last year, with head coach Jim Harbaugh serving a suspension, they went into Beaver Stadium and stunned Penn State on the road, winning 24-15. But what made that victory sting significantly for the Nittany Lions was Michigan finishing the matchup with nearly six times as many rushing attempts as passing attempts (46 to 8). And that is a recipe McElroy believes West Virginia might attempt to replicate.

“If you think back to the recipe that Michigan used in success against Penn State last year, it was by pounding the football. Guess what West Virginia can do,” asked McElroy rhetorically. “They can pound the football; the only team in the country with three 750-yard rushers last year. And what’s interesting is that all three are back and all three can exploit you in different ways.

“Garrett Greene is excellent as a quarterback, would like to see him continue to become more consistent throwing. We know CJ Donaldson is a hammer, 240 lbs, difficult to bring down, [and is] not a guy that you want to face in the hole in short yardage. Jaheim White, we know what he’s like when you get him out in space. The guy is ridiculous, absolutely electric.

“The Mountaineers last year averaged almost 230 rushing yards a game. That was the fourth most in the country it was the most among the power of five.”

The Mountaineers are not believed to have the big bodies up front that Michigan has had in recent history. However, they do support a very similar rushing attack with their quarterback and running back tandem. If West Virginia’s offensive line can’t stand up to the defensive front from Penn State, the mountaineers could ride the rabid atmospheric energy of their home crowd at Milan Puskar Stadium all the way to an upset victory over their Big Ten foe.