Even in an expanded 18-team Big Ten Conference, Penn State still finds itself in no-man’s land. Penn State’s most important Big Ten rival is Ohio State, but with an 11-1 record against James Franklin and Michigan to worry about, the Buckeyes don’t feel the same way.
And for some reason, on his way back to his home state as a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Howard felt the need to remind the program that passed on him out of high school, that to Ohio State, Penn State just isn’t a big rival.
James Franklin still has to earn Ohio State’s respect
Historically, Penn State’s biggest rivals are Pitt and West Virginia. But Pitt hasn’t been on the schedule for the Nittany Lions since 2019, and that rivalry likely won’t be rekindled anytime soon. Penn State did just play a home-and-home with the Mountaineers, and two blowout victories didn’t exactly get the juices flowing for the fanbase.
Playing Pitt and WVU is punching down for Penn State, and unless those two programs somehow found their way back to national prominence, the Nittany Lions will continue to have their sights set on Columbus, Ohio. Yet, they’ll know that the Buckeyes won’t be looking back.
After beginning his career at Kansas State, Howard, who grew up dreaming of playing at Beaver Stadium in the Blue and White, threw two touchdowns as he led Ohio State to a 20-13 victory. Last year was his only season in the Scarlet and Gray, but it’s fair to say that he got a sense for how the Penn State/Ohio State “rivalry” has gone since Franklin took over the program in 2014.
Franklin’s lone victory over the Buckeyes came in 2016 on a miraculous blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, not exactly a replicable outcome. However, this year Franklin will finally be expected to get over the hump against Ohio State, with the Nittany Lions retaining much of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinalist roster while the Buckeyes sent 14 players into the NFL, including Howard.
Ohio State will always have Michigan, and Michigan, Ohio State. There has never been a natural rival for Penn State in the Big Ten, and even after expansion, Oregon will still have Washington, and USC has UCLA. The only path to true rivalry in the Big Ten is to take a bite out of the Buckeyes every once in a while to make them pay attention, and Howard’s right, Franklin just hasn’t ever done it.