Penn State Week: How Ohio State football fans view the Big Ten rivalry
Ohio State has been forced to take Penn State, and the rivalry that comes with it, more seriously since 2016. "Penn State Week" is a real thing, and this year's game is as important as ever.
It's known as "Ohio State week" in the majority of Pennsylvania, but the magnitude of the inverse may be growing more quickly than expected.
The Penn State vs. Ohio State rivalry may be exactly what the Big Ten needs right now, and "Penn State week" seems to have gained some traction across the state's western border.
Despite the rivalry being only 26 years old, the teams' matchup has quietly become one of college football's most anticipated games of the year. Philadelphia sports has no shortage of lopsided rivalries, and before 2016, the Nittany Lions' contention with the Buckeyes was threatening to have the feel of the Pitt-Penn State rivalry: One side passionate, the other apathetic and confident.
But in 2016, as the foundational games of the Big Ten like Ohio State vs. Michigan and Michigan vs. Michigan State start to wane, "Ohio State week" matters to a wider audience than those within a 200-mile radius of State College. It's become a marquee matchup, and Ohio State fans seem to have noticed.
>> READ MORE: Forget Pitt. Ohio State has become Penn State's biggest rival
Taking a step back, it's safe to assume the 2016-17 Buckeyes, winners of four straight games against Penn State, felt pretty confident heading into the night branded by Grant Haley's blocked kick.
But it's safe to say fans weren't as engaged. A Twitter advanced search of the term "Penn State week" during the month of October yields almost as many Maryland fans' buzzing as Ohio State faithful.
It was a pivotal moment for James Franklin and Penn State. The Nittany Lions used the upset to vault into the AP Top 25 and run the table, winning the rest of their regular season games and the Big Ten East division before losing to USC in the Rose Bowl. They finished No. 5 in the country with an 11-3 record, the first notable season with Franklin at the helm.
Some Twitter users apparently had faith heading into the pivotal game:
… and some did not:
But, fast forward to 2018, and there's more traffic surrounding "Penn State week" than just the team's official Twitter account. It's safe to say the respect has been earned by Buckeye Nation.
Penn State enters Saturday ranked ninth in the country. Ohio State, despite Urban Meyer and the athletic program dealing with the backlash of knowingly allowing an assistant coach accused of domestic assault to stay on staff before his dismissal prior to the season, are No. 4 with nothing but convincing wins, albeit against weaker opponents. This will be the first test for the Buckeyes, and Ohio State fans — and even a former player — have taken notice:
There still may be some lopsided rivalries coming out of the Keystone state, but this Saturday's matchup isn't one of them.