It was announced last week that Penn State football would participate in the first-ever game at the new Ryan Field on Friday, October 2, at Northwestern. The Wildcats are playing their non-conference slate at their temporary stadium before hosting the Nittany Lions for Big Ten play.
to coincide with the opening of the new $862 million stadium. The Nittany Lions are accustomed to playing on Saturdays, but have played a few games on Fridays in years past. Here at Onward State, we debated if that should still happen.
Michael Zeno: Yes
There’s a big difference between a home Friday night game and a road Friday night game. As someone who wasn’t a huge fan of attending high school football games on Friday nights, they’re not necessarily my cup of tea. So, especially in college, where the game itself is only part of an incredible Saturday from start to finish, having a Friday night game at Beaver Stadium would be weird.
But in situations like these, where the Nittany Lions are heading on the road to face Northwestern in the first game at Ryan Field on a Friday night, I think it’s pretty cool.
For one, as a college football enjoyer, Penn State playing on Friday night would give me all of Saturday to watch football around the country. You miss some pretty good games when your team is playing at the same time, especially on loaded weekends when you might be playing an unranked opponent.
The vibes are also different. Imagine being done with classes on Friday and having a Penn State game on the TV to start your weekend. Some people who love centering their Saturdays specifically around Penn State football and not college football as a whole suddenly free up all of Saturday.
There’s also something to be said about primetime atmospheres. I remember watching the Thursday night clash between Penn State and Purdue to open the 2022 season, and seeing the Nittany Lions persevere in a tough road environment was great.
There’s a chance this falls short, like when Maryland tried to act tough in 2019 or the Black Friday game in 2023 in Detroit, but there’s a real opportunity to have a real primetime environment for Matt Campbell and company to walk into, not a crummy 3:30 start on a Saturday.
CJ Gill: No
I’m pretty conservative when it comes to when our country’s greatest sport should be played. Friday is for high school football, Saturday is for college football, and Sunday is for professional football. And, yes, I know, the NFL has expanded to Monday and Thursday night games throughout the season, and that’s fine, but I don’t love it.
It is infuriating that the College Football National Championship is on a Monday night. It makes no sense at all, and all it accomplished is putting more money into the pockets of TV companies. You never play any important games all season on Monday and then have the most important game of the year on the day, which is one of the many things wrong with the sport right now.
When it comes to Friday, I know college football doesn’t have to compete with anyone on the airwaves, but the last day of the work week is meant for high school football. Friday Night Lights, baby, it provides some of the best memories kids can make when in high school.
In years past, this game hasn’t been entertaining either. In a couple of their previous Friday night games, the Nittany Lions have dominated their opponents. And that is usually because the opponent isn’t any good. Bad teams get bad times to play football. I don’t want Penn State to be associated with that.
For the fans who want to make the trip to the Land of Lincoln, that just got a lot harder, too. Between classes for students and work for alumni, it takes a lot more effort to travel somewhere for a Friday game than for a Saturday game. Unfortunately, a few blue and white fans will probably have to skip the trip because of it.
College football is the greatest sport in the world because of its traditions, and I’m tired of folks in power overthinking it all. There is no need to play this game on Friday, and Penn State doesn’t need to play in any Friday games in the future either.
Posts from the all-student staff of Onward State.