Penn State Football, Penn State Football Recruiting, James Franklin Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Is Penn State Football vs. West Virginia Opener Set for FOX Big Noon Showcase?

Originally posted on Nittany Central | By LJ Santa Maria | Last updated 5/14/24

With Network Upfronts taking place, we are getting a slow trickle of College Football game time and network announcements, particularly for some of the bigger early-season showdowns. We just might have an inkling for when Penn State Football will kick off against West Virginia.

Penn State‘s opening game at Morgantown has been a noticeable emission to this point, and largely remains the one big Week 1 matchup that doesn’t have a kick time or network home just yet.

FOX announced Monday three games slated for Big Noon; Texas at Michigan Week 2, Alabama at Wisconsin Week 3, and finally, THE game Michigan at Ohio State to wrap up the regular season.

This added to some speculation that the Nittany Lions may open the season on ESPN, despite the fact that ESPN no longer owns the rights to the Big Ten.

Because it is a West Virginia home game, and ESPN still owns the rights to the Big 12, this was a legitimate possibility.

Predicting Penn State Football vs. WVU Week 1 Kickoff Time

However, Tuesday morning, ESPN dropped their lineup for week one. It is loaded with big games, but again … omitted Penn State at West Virginia.

This announcement all but confirms Penn State Football will find itself in the all too familiar place of FOX Big Noon Kickoff, as FOX’s marquee Week 1 game.

They don’t have the rights to any other notable games. Michigan opens the season with Fresno State as defending champs, however, that has already been announced as an NBC Saturday Night game.

But, this is where things get potentially interesting, and if you already have travel and hotel plans for Morgantown … earmuffs.

What Could Prevent PSU vs. WVU as Week 1 Big Noon

With that Colorado vs. North Dakota State game on Thursday night being on ESPN, it leaves a hole for FOX. UNC opens the season at Minnesota that same Thursday, which is the logical place option for FOX, but what if it’s not?

Penn State at WVU is a much bigger game and would draw significantly more eyeballs.

We saw FOX do this with Penn State’s season opener in 2022, when they opened up at Purdue on Thursday Night.

The wrinkle here is the possibility of Friday Night. FOX announced this offseason they wanted to build a Friday NIght package and improve their Friday night inventory. What better way to kick that off in 2024 then with a top 10 Penn State team going on the road in Morgantown?

FOX wants eyeballs, they don’t care about your travel plans or hotel stays.

This article first appeared on Nittany Central and was syndicated with permission.

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