(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
With Saturday night’s primetime matchup between Penn State and Ohio State, the eyes of the college football world will be on Beaver Stadium this weekend. It will be the first matchup between top-10 schools at Beaver Stadium since Penn State blew out Arizona in 1999. College gameday will be there and so will 110,000 strong for this season defining game.
I expect Penn State to break the attendance record set last year for the game against Michigan. In my opinion, this is the biggest game at Penn State since the Ohio State game in 2005. I just happened to be at that game and I can’t wait to compare the atmosphere between that game and Saturday. After I missed out on the 2016 upset at Beaver Stadium, I told myself I wouldn’t miss the 2018 showdown for the world. A showdown that will surely have one of the highest ratings of the season. A showdown that will define the rest of the season for both teams.
Saturday night will be must watch television. The whiteout is something that not many atmospheres in sports can compare too. It’s unique and gives Penn State an edge in this game despite what Vegas may think. It is the first time Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Hawkins will really be tested on the road. The game against TCU where 70% of the crowd were Buckeye fans doesn’t count. I expect Haskins to struggle in the first half and Penn State will need to capitalize on that in order to jump on the Buckeyes early.
I haven’t made up my mind on who wins this game. I keep going back and forth. I have a clear Penn State bias that isn’t allowing me to think that Ohio State can come into the whiteout and beat us. However, Ohio State is a very good team who could definitely leave State College with a win. All I know for certain right now, is that myself and 110,000 of my closest friends will make it very difficult to do so.
