Are Ohio State and Penn State rivals? Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are still divided.

With three of the nation’s top ten teams, the Big Ten is the only conference that matches up these clubs. Saturday’s first of the three eagerly awaited games, between No. 7 Penn State and No. 3 Ohio State, is the most recent major event in a series that has produced a lot of drama and unforgettable moments.

There are plenty of tales in this Penn State vs. Ohio State edition. Drew Allar, the quarterback at Penn State, attended Medina High School in Ohio and won the title of Mr. Football for the state in 2021. Because Ohio State had Quinn Ewers in the 2022 class, it did not initially recruit Allar. After Ewers reclassified, Ohio State contacted Allar, but he was committed to Penn State and wasn’t interested.

Like many of us in Ohio, I did grow up attending Ohio State games, Allar admitted. “They have a fantastic fan following and ambiance. It’s going to be an extremely difficult environment. Although they have a highly devoted following, I don’t think we’re unprepared for this. We always rehearse in loud settings. the time

Before Ohio State entered the picture, Penn State was interested in Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord of Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Prep. Though he was there at Beaver Stadium for the 2018 game, he went with Ohio State over the Nittany Lions.

“Everyone in that Pennsylvania, New Jersey area dreams of attending Penn State,” McCord remarked. “I’ve attended several Penn State sporting events. In 2018, I witnessed Dwayne (Haskins) lead them back during the White Out game. They were definitely my second option, but considering coach Ryan Day’s background, there was really no question in my mind when he gave me the go-ahead to commit.

Despite Ryan Day’s unbeaten record in the series and Penn State’s 1-8 record versus the Buckeyes under James Franklin, the majority of the games have been fiercely contested.

Is this still a rivalry, thirty years after Penn State entered the Big Ten?

This will be Penn State’s 11th meeting with Ohio State while both teams are rated in the AP top 10. Ohio State is the only Big Ten school that Penn State has faced every season since joining the conference in 1993. However, Michigan will always be the Buckeyes’ greatest opponent. The Penn State-Ohio State game will not be played annually as it was not designated a protected rivalry by the Big Ten, which will eliminate divisions after this season. They’ll perform in 2024 and 2025.

The Athletic conducted a survey with a few of the players and coaches who have been engaged in the series in the past to get their opinions on the developments between these two Big Ten East rivals.

With a 17-10 victory over No. 6 Ohio State, the No. 16 Nittany Lions made their comeback to national prominence known. With his strip sack of Troy Smith, Tamba Hali put an end to Ohio State’s attempt at a comeback in a moment that will live on forever in Penn State legend. The Beaver Stadium crowd erupted in excitement after Hali’s hit, which briefly turned Smith over on his head and put Penn State within seven points with 1:28 remaining.

The Nittany Lions (No. 16) andTom Bradley, the former defensive coordinator at Penn State, remarked, “I’ve never heard (Beaver Stadium) louder.” “I swear to you, it feels like I’m moving slowly as Hali sacks him and the ball just lies there, saying, ‘(Scott) Paxson, fall on the ball!'” It was as if to ask, “Why must the person with the shortest arms be grabbing the ball?” It appears as though the ball has been lying there forever when you look at it. declared their comeback to national prominence by toppling No. 6—it was absurd. 17–10 Ohio State. With his strip sack of Troy Smith, Tamba Hali put an end to Ohio State’s attempt at a comeback in a moment that will live on forever in Penn State legend. With just 1:28 remaining, Penn State

For what former Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry referred to as the “greatest environment in college football, a Penn State White Out,” Ohio State traveled to Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions scored 17 straight points to force OT after Ohio State dominated the first half and led 17-0 at the half. However, a third-quarter pick-six by Anthony Zettel turned the tide of the game.

In the first quarter, touchdowns were scored by both sides. A touchdown run by J.T. Barrett kicked off the second overtime period, which concluded with a Joey Bosa sack of Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg.

Perry prepared to blitz, but he had to drop into the flat to cover Hackenberg’s intended throw. Bosa was able to go unhindered by his hesitation until he ran running back Akeel Lynch straight into Hackenberg for the sack.

The running back yelled, “S—, I have this dude,” as the tackle turned to block me and Hackenberg attempted to pass hot where I was but was unable to do so. The rest is history, according to Perry.

It was one of Tyvis Powell’s best games as a player, intercepting Hackenberg in the third quarter.

Powell stated, “That s— was unbelievable.” “It resembled a film.”

After losing to Virginia Tech in September of that year, the victory gave Ohio State a major boost in their quest for a national championship during the inaugural College Football Playoff season.

As Perry put it, “We didn’t think we were a championship team at that point.” As a squad, all we wanted to do was figure out how to win games on a regular basis. It was a significant one.

A historic game was delivered to Beaver Stadium by another White Out. Prior to unranked Penn State mounting a stunning comeback to narrow the deficit to 21-17, No. 2 Ohio State led 21-7 going into the fourth quarter.

Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley claimed the squad felt different than in 2014, despite the early deficit.

“There were certain feelings associated with that game, but not quite like some of the others, such as in 2014, when we had nothing to do and it was just like, ‘Hey, we’re hanging with these guys.'” “Let’s continue!” stated McSorley. This gave out more of a “We can defeat them” vibe. We will prevail in this match.

With less than five minutes remaining, Ohio State was ahead by four points and Tyler Durbin was set up for a 45-yard field goal. Marcus Allen blocked it, and Grant Haley returned it for a touchdown.

With one drive remaining, the Buckeyes were unable to return to Penn State territory, earning Franklin his first victory over Ohio State and Penn State their first series victory since 2011.

“I recall driving into downtown that night after leaving the stadium and seeing simply a mass of people in the streets. I was attempting to go back to my apartment. Everyone was obstructing the street as I tried to pass past it. I was genuinely unable to continue,” McSorley remarked. Since there were no other cars, I just started to slip through. Just as I start to go through, police horses fly past. It was crazy.

When you return to class on Monday, there was unquestionably a somewhat different vibe. People’s excitement over the events of that weekend persisted. People on campus seemed to be having fun and enjoying themselves. I wouldn’t say that people were particularly surprised by it, but I do recall entering a few classrooms and seeing information on Penn State defeating Ohio State displayed on the large lecture hall PowerPoint and other similar materials. There was undoubtedly excitement about the game and defeating them on campus.

Eleven-year-old Ethan Grunkemeyer was seated in the audience that evening. After his family, who are avid Buckeyes fans, visited Beaver Stadium, he was all decked up in Ohio State apparel. As he watched the crowd flood the field, the ambitious football player had no idea that one day he would commit to Penn State as a four-star quarterback in the Class of 2024.

The quarterback commit, Grunkemeyer, plans to wear blue and white, and his family purchased tickets for this Saturday’s game.