How to watch Penn State-Northwestern; spread, pregame info, kick time, more: Gameday Central
Welcome back to game day, Penn State fans. The No. 6 Nittany Lions play their fifth game of the year this afternoon when they battle 2-2 Northwestern at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. Head coach James Franklin’s team will play in a much different environment on this Saturday compared to last weekend, when 110,830 fans packed Beaver Stadium. The Wildcats are averaging about 17,000 fans over two home games this season. There may be plenty of blue and white in the stands. But, the Lions are preparing for a quieter crowd.
“You look at Northwestern, they’ve typically had good home records,” Franklin said back on Wednesday. Why? Because it can be challenging to play there. They’re used to the environment. Other people may not be. It’s going to be very different than what we played in last week. So just being transparent and honest.
“We haven’t had any music. Even our [Penn State practice] period 20, we usually play the Phil Collins [song In The Air Tonight], and it’s usually blaring. They were asking me to turn it up today. And I said, No. It’s just little things like that,” Franklin said. “But at the end of the day, it’s going to be about us executing our jobs and our assignments and playing the game for each other. Playing the game for our love for the game of football and for our teammates, and playing up to our standard, no matter the circumstances.”
Penn State must be ready to go regardless. Get ready for kickoff with essential links, time and TV info, and more below.
Game time, how to watch: Penn State football vs. Iowa
Venue: Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill.
Kick time: Noon ET
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: BIG+
On the call: Mark Followill (play-by-play), Jake Butt (color commentator), and Brooke Fletcher (sideline reporter).
Penn State radio: Steve Jones, Jack Ham, and Brian Tripp will call the Penn State Sports Network radio broadcast on Saturday. It airs on 99.5 & 103.7 FM/1450 AM locally and at GoPSUSports.com online.
Top 10
- 1New
Sankey SEC warning
Faking injury will be penalty, suspension
- 2Hot
Drew Allar
Penn State QB expected to play vs. Ohio State
- 3
Will Johnson
Michigan star out vs. Oregon, per CBS Sports
- 4
Revenue-sharing
Conferences set initial cap on revenue-sharing, per Dellenger
- 5
Tim Tebow
Georgia WRs 'need to show up'
Series facts: Penn State holds a 15-5 all-time lead against the Wildcats. The two sides first met back in 1993. The Lions won each of the last two meetings, scoring a 31-7 win on the road in 2017 and a 17-7 home victory last season.
Penn State-Northwestern betting line
After opening at 21.5, Penn State is now up to a 26.5-point favorite at FanDuel. The betting over/under is 46.5 points.
How the Blue-White Illustrated staff is picking the game
Nate Bauer: Penn State 42, Northwestern 10
Sean Fitz: PSU 45, Northwestern 7
Thomas Frank Carr: PSU 51, Northwestern 10
Matt Herb: PSU 34, Northwestern 13
Greg Pickel: PSU 41, Northwestern 7
Ryan Snyder: PSU 42, Northwestern 10
Weather report
Unlike last week, Weather.com feels pretty confident about its prediction for the game day weather on Saturday. And, for the team and anyone else traveling to Evanston, it looks like a perfect late September day is on tap. Sunny skies are in the forecast with a high of 76 degrees. It will be a tad bit humid. Wind and rain will not be a factor.
Pregame reading
Penn State mid-week practice notes: Offense | Defense
James Franklin radio recap: Drew Allar shows command, Iowa victory lap, more
