Penn State Football’s 2021 schedule: Ranking Nittany Lions’ toughest games

3. Wisconsin

Opening the season in Madison is a unique challenge for Penn State Football, but for the fans, it should be a fun one as this one should garner some preseason hype and be a highlight of the Week 1 college football schedule.

The Nittany Lions will be an experienced team, returning nine starters on offense and seven on defense, so they should be on the same page for Week 1. But, the addition of a new offensive coordinator certainly shakes that up a bit.

Wisconsin is going to be a typical Wisconsin team in 2021, solid up front with a really strong defense. The Badgers allowed a mere 17 points per game this past season, but really struggled to score in a few games, especially against the better teams.

They mustered only six points against Indiana, seven against Northwestern, and seven in their battle with Iowa. This bodes well for a Penn State Football team that is comfortable playing a lower scoring affair and leaning on the ground game.

This game could come down to what quarterback limits the mistakes better, because one key turnover could decide this one. Graham Mertz will be back for Wisconsin after an up and down freshman campaign in 2020.