Penn State Football adds the Syracuse Orange to their future non-conference schedule

SYRACUSE, NY - SEPTEMBER 13: Deon Butler #3 of the Penn State Nittany Lions catches a touchdown during their game against the Syracuse Orange on September 13, 2008 at the Carrier Dome in Syaracuse, New York. (Photo by Marc Squire/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - SEPTEMBER 13: Deon Butler #3 of the Penn State Nittany Lions catches a touchdown during their game against the Syracuse Orange on September 13, 2008 at the Carrier Dome in Syaracuse, New York. (Photo by Marc Squire/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Football will take on Syracuse as part of their non-conference schedule, later this decade.

https://twitter.com/GoPSUsports/status/1521869373689978881?s=20&t=biQ3owtwrKR3F_BlUkU8MA

The Nittany Lions and the Orange last met in week one of the 2013 season, in a neutral site game that was played at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Penn State won that game by a score of 23-17, led by All-American wide receiver Allen Robinson, who hauled in seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown.

The last time Syracuse visited Happy Valley was in 2009, when the Nittany Lions won 28-7, thanks to a pair of touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving) by Evan Royster.

Finally, Penn State Football’s last trip to the Carrier Dome was the year prior, in 2008, when the Nittany Lions rolled to a 55-13 victory. Jordan Norwood caught five passes for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns in that matchup.

What does this matchup mean for Penn State Football?

First and foremost, the first game of this series is still over five years away, so we don’t really know what either program will look like at that point. Many players who will make an impact in that game are probably sitting in their 9th grade math class right now, daydreaming of taking on Syracuse in the raucous Carrier Dome.

It’s certainly not the most glamorous non-conference matchup, but there are a few upsides to it, the first of which being that, if there is rain in the forecast for Syracuse, NY on September 9th, 2028, we’ll be able to stay dry.

The other reason that this is a good matchup, is that it features two schools that are in the same region of the country.

The drive from State College to Syracuse, according to Apple Maps, is only three hours and 59 minutes. It’ll be a good opportunity for Syracuse fans to make the trip to check out State College, and for the Penn State faithful to take over yet another college town, and white out the Carrier Dome.