Penn State starts Mike Rhoades' fourth season tonight with a rivalry game that brings Pitt to The Palestra in Philadelphia. Tipoff is set for 8:00 PM on Sunday, November 8th, 2026, with 2 carrying the game and the Penn State Sports Network on radio.
The setup is simple on the scoreboard and a little less simple in the market: Penn State is a 2.5-point underdog, and the over/under is 154.5. Pitt enters 2-0 and 0-0 in the ACC, which helps explain why the line leans against Penn State even in a game being played in Pennsylvania.
That number also sits on top of the recent history. Penn State has lost six straight games against Pitt, a run that gives this matchup extra weight beyond the venue and the timing. In rivalry games, the gap between the records and the spread can matter less than the pattern that has already been set.
This one still looks competitive, but the edge on paper belongs to Pitt. Penn State has to deal with a sixth straight in the series, a neutral-site setting in Philadelphia, and a total that hints at scoring without much defense. For Rhoades, the immediate task is not the season ahead. It is whether his team can change the script before the night in Philadelphia is over.
