USA TODAY names Penn State’s opening game one of the best

We are just over two weeks away from Penn State’s 2024 season opener against West Virginia in Morgantown.

The matchup is one of the more challenging non-conference games Penn State has had in recent memory. The Mountaineers are coming off a 9-4 season and are an ascending team hoping to reach the Big 12 title game in December. On the other hand, the Nittany Lions are a team seeking their first College Football Playoff and don’t want to slip up during Week 1.

Related: Where the Big Ten stacks up in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll

USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg ranked the ten best non-conference games of the 2024 season, and Penn State’s matchup versus West Virginia was near the top.

Here is what Myerberg had to say about the anticipated opener:

After saving coach Neal Brown’s job with a nine-win 2023 season, the Mountaineers aim at a conference title in the new-look Big 12. Beating the rival Nittany Lions would validate last year’s growth and paint West Virginia as a definite Top 25 team and a potential playoff threat. It might be a bigger game for Penn State, which could make the playoff as an at-large with two Big Ten losses but would have its back against the wall with a loss to open the year. This is just the second meeting in the longtime series since 1992. The Nittany Lions won 38-15 last year and own a 49-9-2 edge in the rivalry.

Losing to the Mountaineers would put the Nittany Lions behind the eight ball in their quest for a playoff berth, especially with Ohio State and USC later in the year. It won’t be an easy endeavor in Morgantown, but it is a massive game for Penn State to put in the win column.

Other top non-conference games that might interest Penn State fans include USC vs. LSU , Texas at Michigan and Alabama at Wisconsin .

The non-conference slate always delivers in college football, but 2024 seems filled with some fantastic games, including Penn State at West Virginia on August 3.

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