No. 9 Penn State begins its pursuit of a Big Ten Championship and a College Football Playoff appearance when it welcomes No. 19 Illinois to Happy Valley on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions have passed every test with flying colors so far. Now, they face a stiff test in their conference opener.
For Illinois, this is the second straight week that Bret Bielema's team finds itself on the road as an underdog against a ranked opponent in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini are 4-0 for the first time since 2011 and already logged two wins against AP Top 25 opponents. That hasn't happened since the 2007 squad beat three ranked opponents on its way to the Rose Bowl. Last week saw Illinios take down Nebraska in a Friday night overtime thriller. Now Illinois looks to continue that role of road warrior in one of the toughest environments in all of college football: Happy Valley at night.
The game also marks the first meeting between these two teams in Beaver Stadium since 2021 when Illinois outlasted Penn State 20-18 in nine overtimes. The two teams did play last year in Champaign, Illinois -- a 30-13 win for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State vs. Illinois: Need to know
Penn State's offense is among the best in the country: James Franklin made a big change in the offseason by bringing in Andy Kotelnicki as offensive coordinator. While that position has been a revolving door in recent years, the early returns suggest Franklin found the perfect fit for Penn State's personnel. The Nittany Lions are in elite company as one of only two FBS teams averaging more than 250 yards passing and rushing -- the other being Tennessee. Penn State is No. 7 in the country with 537.7 yards per game.
Illinois is battle tested: The Fighting Illini are playing their third ranked foe in a four-week stretch and are on track to play five over a seven-game stretch, which would tie the program record for during a regular season. Only Illinois and Tennessee can say they have multiple wins against AP Top 25 opponents as we head into Week 5. These notable wins have helped Illinois the AP poll themselves. It's the earliest in a season Illinios has been ranked since 2008. The fact that so many of these accolades call back to 2007 and 2008 suggest Bret Bielema is building something special in Champaign.
Beaver Stadium under the lights: While not officially the "white out" game, James Franklin has called for "white out energy" from Penn State fans. Playing in Beaver Stadium at night is one of the most unique environments in all of college football, and the home field advantage shows up in the record books. Penn State is 62-32 all time in night games and 21-11 in night games at home.
How to watch Penn State vs. Illinois live
Date: Saturday, Sept. 28 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Beaver Stadium -- University Park, Pa.
TV: NBC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Penn State vs. Illinois prediction, picks
The Fighting Illini have been underrated at every turn by the oddsmakers, boasting a 3-0-1 record against the spread and covering the spread by an average of 10.9 points per game. This is another spot where Illinois' chances to hang around and find success through the air is being discounted, and while Penn State is a deserved favorite to win Illinois has a good chance to keeping this closer than the experts think. Pick: Illinois +17.5
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