Penn State Three: Black Friday game can be a big win for the Lions and more thoughts

Penn State football has been in the news often during the last full week of May. The Three, a reoccurring Blue-White Illustrated column, is back to offer a thought and take on some of the topics while also picking out a throwback of the week.

Take: Black Friday game can be a big win for Penn State

Penn State will play Michigan State on Black Friday to close out its 2023 regular season. The Spartans and Nittany Lions will meet at Ford Field in Detroit instead of Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. NBC will televise the affair, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

All of that would have been very strange to type even as recently as a year ago. But, as we’re quickly learning, the Big Ten’s new television deal will change all sorts of things about scheduling. This is just the latest example.

We can imagine James Franklin has some reservations about playing on a short week, especially if a trip to the Big Ten title game is on the line. Some fans are surely frustrated, too, about having to pick between traveling on Thanksgiving Day or having a very long Friday of travel before kickoff if they want to go. Both are understandable. But, at the same time, the pros outweigh the cons, from our view. The Lions will be on a primetime, national stage at a time when some, but not all, high school football seasons are over. It means they’ll be beamed into the home of recruits across the country.

A win, even over an expected-to-be overmatched Spartans team, could have long-lasting benefits on the recruiting front. And, that’s why the contest has the chance to be a big win for Penn State.

Throwback: What is the Lions’ Black Friday playing history?

Seth Engle of The Daily Collegian did a nice job researching the Black Friday playing history at Penn State for this piece. The Lions have played on the day after Thanksgiving just four times. The first came in 1976, and the last in 1982. All of the contests were against Pittsburgh, and the sides split the quartet of contests.

So, in 2023, Penn State has the opportunity to go above .500 on Black Friday.

Thought: More analysts are a good thing

Penn State added two analysts to its support staff on Wednesday with the hiring of Ola Adams and the reassignment of graduate assistant David Parker. To us, fans should view that as a good thing. While it is fair to question how many staff members are needed, the simply fact of the matter is that there can never be enough hands on deck. It’s just the way of the college football world in 2023.

So, with that said, don’t be surprised if they aren’t the last analysts hired before the new season begins.

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