Penn State Football: Ranking 2020 opponents by toughness

In what has become one of the more intriguing games in the Big Ten, Penn State and Iowa always seem to play in a classic every time they share the field.

Penn State will be coming off of a bye after playing Michigan the previous week and the Hawkeyes will also be coming off a tough game, as they travel to face Ohio State the previous week. Iowa will have to replace quarterback Nate Stanley and top pass rusher AJ Epenesa, but Kirk Ferentz’s teams never seem to change, no matter who they lose on the roster.

Even though they seem to play in close games every time the two teams face off, Iowa has lost six straight games to Penn State and have not beaten the Nittany Lions since 2010. Expect another close game between two of the best teams in the Big Ten.

In what is one of the more intriguing non-conference games of the season, Penn State will travel to Lane Stadium to take on Virginia Tech, who has aspirations of winning the ACC Coastal and 10 games.

Blacksburg is one of the toughest places to play in the entire country and will be the first big test of the season for Penn State. The Nittany Lions will be looking to make a statement early on in the season and show that they are ready to contend for the College Football Playoff.

Despite some early bad losses, Virginia Tech recovered nicely and finished the season with some momentum and a big reason for that was the switch to Hendon Hooker at quarterback. Hooker played really well last season and coupled with the fact that the Hokies bring back 20 starters, Virginia Tech could be a really good football team in 2020.

If Penn State wants to make the playoff, it will need to make a big statement in just the second week of the season