Penn State visits Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS or FS1. Michigan's schedule tags it as a rivalry game and homecoming.
Two teams, one winless conference column
Michigan is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten in Kyle Whittingham's first season. The Wolverines beat Western Michigan 13-12, beat Oklahoma 17-10 on Sept. 12, beat UTEP 52-17, lost 20-19 to Iowa on Sept. 26 and lost 20-14 at Minnesota on Oct. 3. Michigan was No. 16 in the preseason poll and is outside the AP Top 25 now.
Penn State is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten in Matt Campbell's first season. The Nittany Lions beat Marshall 45-0, won 27-9 at Temple and beat Buffalo 55-13, then lost 24-20 to Wisconsin on Sept. 26 and 34-13 at Northwestern on Oct. 2. Penn State is also outside the Top 25.
The series
The Penn State-Michigan series began in 1993, with Michigan winning 21-13 on Oct. 16 in State College. Michigan leads 17-10. The three most recent meetings: Michigan 21-17 on Nov. 13, 2021; Michigan 41-17 on Oct. 15, 2022; and Michigan 24-15 on Nov. 11, 2023.
The tailgate
At Michigan, golf course fairways turn into parking lots: the Big House lots near Pioneer High and the U-M Golf Course, with a hundred thousand-plus filing in from every direction. At Penn State, the Happy Valley lots surround Beaver Stadium, 107,000 people in the middle of Pennsylvania farmland, with lots that open early and fill fast. This one is in Ann Arbor, so it is the Michigan lots that fill up on Oct. 17.
What to watch
The records match, and so does the conference column: both teams are still looking for their first Big Ten win.