Expectations are through the roof for Saturday evening's match-up between Penn State and Michigan. Not only is the game set in prime time with an expected TV audience that is ideal for ESPN, the two teams are conference rivals and the stakes are quite high.
It should be noted that the Nittany Lions are significant favorites (of as much as 10 points right now) on the field and part of that, of course, is the presence of home-field advantage in Happy Valley. Earlier this week, ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit was interviewed about the Big Ten contest and he revealed a very interesting nugget about the atmosphere at Beaver Stadium.
Herbstreit said that he has "been all over the country for the past 20 years" but he does not "know if there's a better, more-intimidating atmosphere than the whiteout at State College." That is immense praise given some of the massive home-field advantages that take place in the SEC and elsewhere but Penn State at night is certainly a tough place for the opponent and that will be on full display on Saturday evening.
Michigan's offense may not be ideal this season but, if they can hang around, it will pave the way for Penn State's crowd to be a major factor in what might be a close game under the lights.
