Well this is a mildly interesting development.
Earlier today, the Big Ten confirmed that it was going against its longstanding tradition next season by playing games on Friday nights in the months of September and October. The league has been the subject of criticism and derision since as that night has long been viewed as the territory of high school football.
Michigan has already privately rejected the idea, the league’s commissioner confirmed. Now, Penn State is very publicly doing the same.Penn State has informed the Big Ten that we will not host football games on a Friday night. pic.twitter.com/6SH1tcvrw4
— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) November 2, 2016
It’s likely that the Nittany Lions wouldn’t have been hosting a Friday night game anyway -- the Chicago Tribune wrote that “the league is reluctant to ask schools with giant seating capacities to host Friday night games” -- but it is a bit striking that the school would so publicly make such an announcement. Kudos to them, and Michigan as well, though, for standing up against a money grab that will come at the expense of high schools all across the Midwest.