Penn State Football: Potential trap game on 2018 schedule

Which game in 2018 represents a classic trap for Penn State football?

There are some high expectations surrounding the Penn State football program this season following its win over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl last year. With numerous key starters returning and some talented newcomers ready to make an impact, the Nittany Lions should find themselves in the College Football Playoff conversation when the season begins. However, in order to achieve that, Penn State has to navigate a tricky schedule that’s filled with several opportunities to stumble.

Playing in the Big Ten, particularly the East division, means that the schedule is always difficult. Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State are yearly matchups for the Nittany Lions. Along with those three, the divisional crossover games this year are with Wisconsin and Iowa.

Fortunately, the Nittany Lions get to host the Buckeyes, Spartans, Hawkeyes, and Badgers. The game at Michigan could be one of the toughest on the schedule.

Aside from this obvious games, there’s one that doesn’t appear to be much on the surface, but actually stands out on the schedule as a potential trap game. Penn State’s first Big Ten game of the year will come on September 21 in Illinois against the Illini. That game could be a potential pitfall for the Nittany Lions.

Of course, a team that’s coming off a 2-12 year in which it lost the final ten games of the season wouldn’t normally be considered a trap, but because of a few factors, that’s not the case this year.

First, the game at Illinois will be played at 9:00 ET on a Friday evening thanks to new scheduling policies the Big Ten put in place last year. The akward time in and of itself represents a challenge for the Nittany Lions. Not only will the practice week be different due to the road game, but playing a day earlier will impact everything from practice schedules travel arrangements.

Illinois played two Friday games last season, and although both resulted in losses, the experience could be helpful against the Nittany Lions this year.

Second, although Penn State throttled Illinois the last time they met in 2015, that game was played at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions’ last traveled to Champaign in 2014 and limped home with a 16-14 loss.

Even though that loss occurred during James Franklin’s first season with the Nittany Lions, and that team was completely different from the one Franklin has now, it’s still worth noting that Penn State didn’t have good luck on the last visit to Illinois.

Finally, the game at Illinois could be a trap for the Nittany Lions because of what awaits the following week. On September 29, Penn State hosts Ohio State for the annual Whiteout. The Nittany Lions will certainly be amped up for that one, but Franklin will be challenged with the task of keeping his team focused on Illinois before battling with the Buckeyes.

Based on rosters and pure talent, it’s extremely difficult to think that Penn State will be upset by Illinois. The Nittany Lions will likely be heavy favorites in the game, despite traveling and playing on an unusual night.

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It will be expected that Penn State comes out on top, but the game could certainly start out closer than some may think. Illinois represents a classic trap game for the Nittany Lions this season and they are going to need to be 100 percent locked in and ready in order to avoid it.