Look, the 2024 Penn State football schedule wasn't just another list of games. It was the year James Franklin finally kicked down the door of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Honestly, if you were watching back in August, there was this weird mix of optimism and "here we go again" dread hanging over State College.
Everyone knew the talent was there. Drew Allar was back, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen were a two-headed monster in the backfield, and Abdul Carter was moving to defensive end. But the Big Ten was changing. No more divisions. Four new West Coast teams joining the party. The road wasn't just through Columbus and Ann Arbor anymore; it went through LA and Eugene, too.
The August Heat and a Statement in Morgantown
It all started on August 31. A lot of people were picking West Virginia to pull the upset. It was a noon kickoff in a hostile environment, and the Mountaineers were coming off a 9-win season. Penn State basically just shut everyone up. They walked into Morgantown and handled business with a 34-12 win.
Drew Allar looked different. Efficient. Explosive. He threw for three touchdowns, and the defense under new coordinator Tom Allen looked like it hadn't missed a beat. It was the perfect start, but the schedule was about to get weird.
The Mid-Season Grind and That California Dream
September was mostly about survival. Bowling Green gave the Nittany Lions a massive scare at home (34-27), which had fans sweating. Then came the demolition of Kent State (56-0) and a gritty win over Illinois (21-7).
But October 12 was the date everyone had circled.
Penn State had to fly across the country to face USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This was the first real "new Big Ten" test. It was a classic. The Nittany Lions trailed at halftime and looked like they might fold, but Tyler Warren decided he wasn't losing that game. He caught 17 passes—seventeen!—to lead a comeback that ended in a 33-30 overtime thriller.
The One That Got Away: 2024 Penn State Football Schedule Highlights
If you want to talk about the 2024 Penn State football schedule, you have to talk about November 2.
Ohio State. 111,030 people in the stands. A "Helmet Stripe" game.
It was right there. Penn State had the ball inside the 5-yard line with a chance to take control, and they just couldn't punch it in. Losing 20-13 hurt. It really did. It felt like the same old story: beat everyone else, lose to the Buckeyes. But because of the new playoff format, the season didn't end there.
The Regular Season Results
- Aug 31: at West Virginia (W, 34-12)
- Sep 7: Bowling Green (W, 34-27)
- Sep 21: Kent State (W, 56-0)
- Sep 28: Illinois (W, 21-7)
- Oct 5: UCLA (W, 27-11)
- Oct 12: at USC (W, 33-30 OT)
- Oct 26: at Wisconsin (W, 28-13)
- Nov 2: Ohio State (L, 13-20)
- Nov 9: Washington (W, 35-6)
- Nov 16: at Purdue (W, 49-10)
- Nov 23: at Minnesota (W, 26-25)
- Nov 30: Maryland (W, 44-7)
The Postseason Run Nobody Expected
Penn State finished the regular season 11-1. That was good enough to get them into the Big Ten Championship game against Oregon.
Indianapolis was electric. It was a back-and-forth track meet. Oregon ultimately pulled it out 45-37, but Penn State proved they belonged in the elite tier. They earned the No. 6 seed in the first-ever 12-team playoff, which meant a home game in December.
Beaver Stadium in the winter is a different beast. They hosted SMU and absolutely dismantled them 38-10. Then they went to the Fiesta Bowl and took down Boise State 31-14.
The ride finally ended in the Orange Bowl. A semifinal matchup against Notre Dame that went down to the wire. Penn State lost 27-24, finishing the season with a record-breaking 13-3 mark.
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Why 2024 Was Different
Most people get wrong that Penn State "choked" because they lost to Ohio State and Oregon. Honestly? That's a lazy take.
This team won 13 games. They won a playoff game at home. They won a New Year's Six bowl. They traveled to USC and Wisconsin and won both.
The 2024 Penn State football schedule was a gauntlet. It required depth that Franklin teams haven't always had. The emergence of Tyler Warren as the best tight end in the country changed the math for the offense. The defense, even with injuries, remained a top-five unit nationally.
Key Takeaways from the Season
- The Playoff Era Suits PSU: In the 4-team era, they were always the "first team out." In the 12-team era, they are a perennial lock.
- Travel Doesn't Scare Them: Winning in LA proved that the cross-country Big Ten expansion won't be the death of the Nittany Lions.
- Elite Finishes: Finishing No. 5 in the final polls is the program's best finish in nearly two decades.
If you’re looking to relive the 2024 season or prep for the next one, the best thing you can do is study the tape of that USC game. It was a masterclass in mid-game adjustments. You should also keep an eye on the transfer portal—Franklin has shown he’ll use it to plug holes, like he did with Julian Fleming and A.J. Harris. The blueprint is there; now they just need to find that extra 7 points against the Buckeyes.