Penn State sees 2022 schedule, bye week change as Big Ten releases revised slate of games

Penn State has a new schedule for the 2022 season.

Announced Tuesday afternoon, the Big Ten has made revisions to the entirety of its conference slate, with impacts to the Nittany Lions’ schedule. 

The first notable change comes in October for Penn State.

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Rather than hosting Ohio State in the resumption of its Big Ten schedule on Oct. 1, Penn State will now play host to Northwestern. 

The next week, rather than traveling to Michigan, Penn State will now have its bye in what is the sixth week of the 2022 season, with a trip to Ann Arbor to follow. That stands in contrast to a prior arrangement to host Illinois on Oct. 15, with the Illini moved off the schedule.

Next up, Penn State will face Minnesota on Oct. 22, a shift from the prior schedule hosting the Gophers on Nov. 19. And to round out October, the Nittany Lions will get their game against the Buckeyes on Oct. 29.

Penn State’s return trip to Indiana is staying the same on Nov. 5 and Maryland at Beaver Stadium stays the same on Nov. 12. 

The final two changes to the schedule come in the last two weeks, with Rutgers moving from the season-ending matchup on the prior schedule to Nov. 19, still in Piscataway. And, maintaining the season-ending spot for Michigan State and the Land Grant Trophy, the Nittany Lions will play host to Michigan State to finish the season on Saturday, Nov. 26 after Thanksgiving. 

The date moves from a prior arrangement for Oct. 29 to face the Spartans.

One final change?

One change not yet announced, but Blue White Illustrated understands as a serious possibility, is a move for the first game of the season.

Still set to travel to Purdue to open the 2022 season in September, the seventh consecutive season in which the Nittany Lions begin their conference schedule on the road, the date is in talks for a move to Thursday, Sept. 1. 

Coming out of a 2021 slate in which Penn State opened its season at No. 13-ranked Wisconsin, the impacts of scheduling were a point of conversation for head coach James Franklin throughout. 

And though Purdue, finishing 9-4 on the season with two top-10 wins against then-unbeaten Iowa and Michigan State, isn’t likely to carry a same ranking as the Badgers, Franklin’s contention will likely carry over. 

“I think there’s a lot of things that factor into it. From a scheduling philosophy, whether it’s the Big Ten scheduling philosophy, whether it’s our scheduling philosophy; our beginning of the season was very challenging, was very physical, was against very physical style teams, and with that, comes wear and tear and an importance of development from a depth perspective,” Franklin said in October. “One of the other things that we’ve been able to do in years past is play a lot of guys early on, develop them for depth later in the season, and you really didn’t get to do either early on this season. So, that’s the nature of it. 

“We knew it was coming. We need to be prepared for it throughout summer, throughout the offseason and things like that once we decided to go with that type of schedule.”

Penn State 2022 football schedule

Here is the complete 2022 Penn State football schedule. No time or television assignments have been announced as of Jan. 11.

Sept 3: at Purdue

Sept. 10: vs. Ohio

Sept. 17: at Auburn

Sept 24: vs. Central Michigan

Oct. 1: vs. Northwestern

Oct. 8: BYE

Oct. 15: at Michigan

Oct. 22: vs. Minnesota

Oct. 29: vs. Ohio State

Nov. 5: at Indiana

Nov. 12: vs. Maryland

Nov. 19: at Rutgers

Nov. 26: vs. Michigan State