Penn State football will (or should) breeze by Weeks 1-3 before taking a "well-earned" rest during Week 4. Essentially four easy weeks to start the season should mean that the Nittany Lions go into Week 5 refreshed and ready to go.
The pressure's on for Penn State as it comes out of its first bye week with the 2025 rendition of the White Out game. Head coach James Franklin will have to redeem himself from the 2024 Big Ten Championship and pull out a win against Oregon. It's one of the most telling games of the season and can offer a good projection as to how well the Nittany Lions will perform under pressure.
Needless to say, it's a "must watch" game, and ESPN's Bill Connelly agrees.
Bill Connelly says Oregon at Penn State, Penn State at Ohio State, and Indiana at Penn State are "must watch" Big Ten games for 2025
Penn State takes on Oregon at home on Sept. 27 and is the first "real" game of the Nittany Lions' season. Beyond that, it's all Big Ten action for them until the postseason.
"The Week 5 slate is overloaded with big games, but this will almost certainly be the biggest," Connelly wrote. "The Ducks and Nittany Lions will almost certainly be a combined 7-0 at this point, as neither team will have played a top-50 team."
High-pressure performances, for both Franklin and Drew Allar, is a top concern for Penn State, especially after last season's playoff blunders. It'll have tons of high-pressure moments during the regular season, and Connelly noted three games featuring the Nittany Lions as Big Ten "must watches" for fans.
Penn State at Ohio State in Week 10 and Indiana at Penn State in Week 11 are the other two games the Nittany Lions will need to perform well under pressure. Especially against the Buckeyes, these three games (including Oregon) are telling of who will make the College Football Playoffs and who will make it far.
Connelly noted that on Nov. 8, Penn State has to pull out a win regardless of its Week 10 results. When at Ohio State on Nov. 1, though, it might be the game of the season.
"In terms of combined SP+ ratings, this is the single biggest game of the 2025 regular season," Connelly wrote.
Texas at Ohio State, Michigan at Oklahoma State, Illinois at Indiana, USC at Illinois, Indiana at Iowa, Michigan at USC, and Ohio State at Michigan are the other seven games Connelly said are the top best games of the season for the Big Ten.