University Park, Pa. — Penn State's opening three games of the 2009 season will kick off at noon ET and be televised by the Big Ten Network.
The Nittany Lions are playing their initial four games of the season in Beaver Stadium, starting with the Sept. 5 opener with Akron. One week later, old rival Syracuse will make its first visit to Happy Valley in 19 years, followed by a visit from Temple on Sept. 19. Penn State begins Big Ten play on Sept. 26, hosting Iowa for an 8:00 p.m. kick on ABC or ESPN.
With the announcement of the three season opening kickoffs, the start time for six of Penn State's contests this fall have been determined. The Nittany Lions will host Minnesota for Homecoming at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 on ABC/ESPN. On Oct. 31, Penn State will visit Northwestern for a 4:30 p.m. ET kick on ESPN or ESPN2.
The Big Ten Network will televise a minimum of four Penn State football games this season. The Nittany Lions will appear on the Network for at least one conference game, with additional network TV assignments to be made on a 12 or six-day basis once the season begins, under the provisions of their contracts with the Big Ten Conference.
Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, the Big Ten Network has agreements with more than 250 affiliates and is available to approximately 75 million homes. Fans can find out the channel number(s) for the Big Ten Network on their cable system by going to: http://www.bigtennetwork.com/channelfinder/index.asp
All Penn State football games can be heard on the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com, with selected games available on XM Satellite Radio.
Penn State leads the series with Akron, 3-0, with all three meetings since 1999. The Nittany Lions won the last contest, 48-10, in the 2006 season opener.
The Nittany Lions and Orange will be meeting in Beaver Stadium for the first time since the Blue and White captured a 27-21 win in 1990. The teams met every season from 1944-90 and renewed their rivalry last year at the Carrier Dome, with the Nittany Lions winning, 55-13. Penn State owns a 41-23-5 series advantage.
Penn State and old rival Temple will be meeting for the fourth consecutive season, with the Lions leading the series, 34-3-1. The Nittany Lions won, 45-3, last year in Beaver Stadium. Temple is coached by Al Golden, a 1991 Penn State co-captain, who last year led the Owls to their most wins since 1990.
Penn State has earned one of the nation's Top 10 records since the start of the 2005 season, posting a 40-11 (78.4) mark, good for No. 9 nationally. The Nittany Lions have won 42 of their last 53 games overall, dating to the final two games of the 2004 season.
Entering his 44th season as head coach and 60th on the Penn State coaching staff, Coach Joe Paterno's squad returns 37 letterwinners and 10 starters for the 2009 campaign.