STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State fans will get to see if Lee Corso throws on the Nittany Lion mascot head in back-to-back weeks as ESPN's popular pre-game show announced Sunday morning it's headed to Columbus next weekend for the No. 2 Nittany Lions' road game against No. 6 Ohio State.
Both Penn State and Ohio State stayed put in this week's AP Poll, with the Lions continuing to trail Alabama. This week's top-10:
1. Alabama (61 first-place votes)
2. Penn State
3. Georgia
4. TCU
5. Wisconsin
6. Ohio State
7. Clemson
8. Miami
9. Notre Dame
10. Oklahoma
While the Penn State, Ohio State game kicks at 3:30 p.m. and airs on FOX, it's the marquee matchup of the week and all of the added exposure Penn State saw from Saturday night's win against Michigan with GameDay on campus, means Columbus will be buzzing next Friday and Saturday too. With the first set of College Football Playoff rankings quickly approaching on Halloween night, the stakes couldn't be higher next weekend.
"We've prepared for this since summer training and we have been wanting this for a long time," Penn State cornerback Christian Campbell said of the upcoming game. It's going to be pretty exciting. I can't wait."
Last year's upset in Beaver Stadium will be a talking point this week as cornerback Grant Haley, safety Marcus Allen, Saquon Barkley, Trace McSorley and the rest of the Lions get ready for a trip to The Horseshoe, the place where Barkley broke out for 194 rushing yards as a true freshman.
It also means we'll be on the lookout for a fresh batch of fan signs and given the drivable distance between the two Big Ten programs surely there will be a lot of signs taking playful jabs at Penn State and Ohio State in the GameDay audience, but this time with Penn State probably taking the brunt of the sign jokes, much like Michigan and Jim Harbaugh did during the hundreds of signs on Old Main Lawn.
The Lions' win against Michigan was the top-viewed game this past weekend, with a 4.2 overnight rating making it the most viewed game of Week 8. Columbus led the local markets, earning a 17.6 overnight rating. The Wolverines were booted from the top-25 after their second loss this season.
Michigan State, which beat the Wolverines as well, is at No. 16 in this week's poll after coming in at No. 18 last week. The Lions play Michigan State on the road in two weeks.
It's safe to say there will be plenty of interest coming from Columbus and the Detroit market and everywhere else for Saturday afternoon's game, one that kicks at 3:30 p.m. instead of a likely night slot because FOX, which own the rights to the Big Ten title game, also has the rights to the World Series.
Much like the signs in the crowd in Happy Valley, the Lions' fans might want to be careful what they wish for. Does anybody want any part of top-ranked Alabama right now?