TMQB: How Many Night Games Will Penn State Play in 2018?

There isn’t a much more joyful phrase than ‘college football under the lights.’ Penn State fans certainly appreciate the appeal of playing in primetime, and catching a night game in Beaver Stadium is an absolute must on the bucket list for all Nittany Lion faithful.

Currently, Penn State has two primetime games scheduled for the upcoming season. The Nittany Lions will take on Pitt on the road in week two at 8 p.m. in a nationally-televised game on ABC. Two weeks later, Penn State will travel to Illinois for a Friday evening (yes, Friday) clash with the Illini. No time has been determined, but it will be in the evening since, well, a Friday afternoon game would be ridiculous.

With kickoff times yet to be announced for 10 other Penn State regular season games, we can be assured the Nittany Lions will be playing more than two primetime games. With this in mind, how many primetime games will Penn State appear in during the 2018 regular season?

You can bet your last dollar that one or more games in Beaver Stadium will be played under the lights. Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin are all viable candidates. While those three games are each strong possibilities, especially depending where each is ranked at that time of year, Ohio State seems a certainty. Can you even imagine a Penn State-Ohio State game in Beaver Stadium not being played at night? It would just feel off- like when you have a dream that you’re meeting your Uncle Joe for lunch, but he’s actually Peter Jennings in clown make-up and bell bottoms, yet you don’t realize it wasn’t actually your Uncle Joe until you recall an image from the dream the following afternoon.

A primetime game between Penn State and Michigan will once again be appealing for the networks as well. Penn State has also played Iowa at night each of the last two seasons, and could continue for another year. BTN may also want to air a primetime game from Beaver Stadium again in 2018, meaning even nonconference clashes against Appalachian State or Kent State could make for a night game.

So what say you, BSD reader? How many primetime games will Penn State appear in during 2018, and which games are the most likely candidates?