Penn State Football: Schedule analysis and predictions for the Nittany Lions

Penn State hosts Nebraska and Alabama this season and ends the season on the road against Ohio State and Wisconsin.

But what about the rest of the schedule? Here's a walk through the entire 2011 season Penn State has in front of them, starting with the season opener.

September 3, Indiana State

The Nittany Lions open the 2011 season at home against FCS Indiana State. The Sycamores are more known for being the alma mater of NBA legend Larry Bird and should present little resistance for Penn State, even with the Nittany Lions having some question marks on both sides of the ball heading in to the 2011 season.

Indiana State was 6-5 last season, including a loss on the road against Cincinnati from the Big East (40-7). Penn State will be the first of two FBS opponents for the Sycamores. Two weeks after visiting State College for the first meeting between the two schools, Indiana State travels to Western Kentucky (Sun Belt).

This may not be the best way to prepare for a big game the following week but if Penn State can stay healthy then this should present Joe Paterno and his staff a good opportunity to fine tune a couple of issues before the schedule gets harder, much harder.

As per Paterno's reputation, don't expect Penn State to do anything fancy in this game as he does not like to reveal too much of the playbook in this kind of situation with a program like Alabama looming (not to mention Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin and more).

September 10, Alabama

A young and overmatched Penn State team traveled in to the heart of the SEC to take on the defending BCS champions last season. Freshman quarterback Rob Bolden found some ways to move the football but the Nittany Lions struggled once they got near the end zone in a 24-3 loss. This year one of the favorites in the SEC ventures in to Big Ten territory as Penn State looks to get some revenge for a loss last season.

Alabama figures to be one of the top teams in the SEC and could be a team capable of making another run for a BCS championship game appearance. The Tide have a slight question mark to answer for behind center but there are next to no issues at any other position in 2011.

Running back Trent Richardson carried Alabama to a win against Penn State last season with Mark Ingram out of action and this season Richardson will be one of the top backs in the country. If Penn State's defensive line lets him through the line it could be a long day for Penn State. If the linebackers are shaky for the Nittany Lions, watch out.

September 17, @ Temple

Penn State takes to the road in week three but even a trip to Philadelphia should be comforting for Penn State. In 2007 when Penn State made the trip to the City of Brotherly Love the droves of fans in blue and white helped the Owls set a MAC attendance record with over 67,000 fans packing Lincoln Financial Field. That game was in November so the weather conditions, and field conditions, figure to be much more favorable for the team and the fans.

Temple is hoping to continue improving the program with a coaching change. Al Golden has moved on to Miami and former Florida assistant Steve Addazio has stepped in. The Owls gave Penn State a good scare last season with Bernard Pierce leading the Temple offense. Pierce's 2010 season was hindered by injuries but he says he is healthy and ready to go for 2011.

The jury is still out on whether or not Temple will take a step back without Golden initially but if Penn State is still floundering on the offensive or defensive line this game could have upset potential written on it. Addazio of course is somewhat familiar with Penn State, having coached against them in the Outback Bowl this past bowl season.

September 24, Eastern Michigan

No matter where Penn State stands after the first three games, the fourth game against Eastern Michigan should be a win. The Eagles were 2-10 last season and anemic on both sides of the ball. Eastern Michigan scored an average of 19.0 points per game last season (108th nationally) and allowed 43.9 points per game (118th). Ten times Eastern Michigan allowed 30 points or more and twice they allowed at least 71 points (Northern Illinois, Ohio State).

October 1, @ Indiana*

Big Ten and Leaders Division play gets underway in Bloomington, Indiana when Penn State travels to Indiana for the first conference game of the season, and the first division game in program history.

Indiana opted to move last year's home game against Penn State to Washington D.C. and FedEx Field but there appears to be no intention to do the same in 2011. Regardless of where the game is played, history is on Penn State's side.

Indiana is the lone Big Ten school to have never defeated Penn State in football. The Hoosiers are looking to snap that trend.

October 8, Iowa

Iowa has been nothing but a thorn in the [Nittany] Lion's paw in recent seasons. After an eventful off-season the Hawkeyes enter 2011 with plenty of questions of their own. Under Kirk Ferentz it hasn't mattered where Iowa plays Penn State because their physicality has taken over the game in State College or Iowa City more often than not.

Make no mistake that Iowa knows how to play Penn State but Iowa needs to replace Ricky Stanzi behind center and loses Adrian Clayborn on the defensive line. Still, this will be a tough test for Penn State, as it usually is.

October 15, Purdue*

Penn State takes on Purdue in another division game and should figure to be the favorite when the Boilermakers come to Happy Valley. Purdue is hoping to improve their passing game in 2011 after a dismal 2010. Purdue averaged 150.8 yards per game (112th) through the air and struggled to score points, averaging 19.7 points per game (105th) and the defense allowed nearly 30 points per game (28.8 ppg allowed, 74th).

Purdue ended the 2010 season with a six-game losing streak in conference play and took hits against Notre Dame and Toledo. To pour salt on the wound for Purdue, the Boilermakers lost in overtime to instate rival Indiana, the Hoosiers' lone conference win, on the final day of the season.

Penn State has played well against Purdue since joining the Big Ten and this year should be no different, especially in Beaver Stadium.

October 22, @ Northwestern

By the time Penn State plays Northwestern in Evanston, the Wildcats could be a viable threat. Quarterback Dan Persa, by this time, should have his legs at 100 percent and give Pat Fitzgerald one of the top dual-threats behind center in the country. Despite seeing a premature end to his season in 2010 Persa still led the Wildcats in rushing touchdowns (nine) and ended his season with 15 touchdowns through the air. He was second on the team in rushing with 519 yards on the ground.

Don't forget that this Northwestern team took a lead in to halftime last season in State College before the Nittany Lions outscored Northwestern 28-0 in the second half to capture Joe Paterno's 400th career win.

Persa was 16-of-25 for 201 yards and rushed for 109 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns in the game. If Persa is healthy and the Penn State defense is banged up this could be another tough game for Paterno's team.

October 29, Illinois*

Illinois silenced Penn State last season and showed no sign of being afraid of pulling out all of the stops right from the first drive of the game. Ron Zook's team bounced back a bit in conference play in 2010 after being nothing but a shadow of the Rose Bowl team of the 2007 season. Illinois will need to replace leading rusher Mikel Leshoure but the Illini should be able to fare well running the ball. The passing game is what will be the primary concern for Zook. Last season the Illini ranked 111th in the nation in passing.

With the game being played in Beaver Stadium for a second straight season this game should be circled as a true revenge game for Penn State.

November 12, Nebraska

Now we get to the fun part of the schedule. The final three weeks of the schedule could have a lot riding on it but the first of the big three games will be a cross-over match with new Big Ten member Nebraska. The last time the Huskers visited Beaver Stadium it didn't quite go well for them, and the energy in the stadium could be close to that once again with one of the most anticipated regular season games in years for Penn State. This will be the final home game of the regular season for Penn State. Will the seniors be ready to go out with a bang?

The Huskers have gone to the Big 12 championship game each of the past two seasons and although they have come up short in each, it is clear that Bo Pelini has something working for him in Lincoln, Nebraska. The defense should be solid once again with linebacker Sean Fister holding things solid in the middle of the field. Last season Nebraska allowed an average of 17.4 points per game and rushed for 247.6 points per game.

To say Penn State will be tested on both sides of the ball could be a gross understatement.

Once Penn State gets through this game they will get a week to get some rest, heal some wounds and put together a game plan for the biggest two games on the division schedule.

November 19, @ Ohio State*

Because of the way the schedules had to be worked out when the Big Ten split in to division play, Penn State will visit Columbus, Ohio for a second straight season. It may upset fans to see Penn State be forced to make two trips to Columbus in as many seasons but don't forget that Penn State hosted Ohio State in 1994 and 1995 once they joined the conference. What goes around seems to come around in this instance.

Ohio State will likely be the top team in the conference again in 2011 but that is under the assumption that Terrelle Pryor, Dan Herron and DeVier Posey return to the team in shape and ready to contribute after serving a five-game suspension to start the season. Even without those players history offers an ominous trend for Penn State heading to Columbus. Penn State has won in Columbus just once since joining the Big Ten in 1993 (2008). Penn State could be in position to make a run for the Big Ten championship game but any hope of reaching Indianapolis may rest on this road game at Ohio State.

November 26, @ Wisconsin*

If Penn State can pick up a win at Ohio State the week before, then all the Leaders Division marbles could be put on the line in Madison, where Penn State takes on another co-Big Ten champion in the regular season finale.

Wisconsin will be playing their first home game since November 5 (Purdue) when they host the Nittany Lions and they will be hoping that tings go differently than the last time Penn State roared through the dairy state.

Times have changed since that Massacre in Madison captained by quarterback Daryll Clark. The Badgers lose a good amount of talent from last season's 11-2 co-Big Ten championship squad but when you play Wisconsin you know you will be facing one of the top offensive lines in the conference. The same will hold true this season, which means the Penn State defensive line will really need to improve as the season goes along if they want to have a chance at winning the season finale against their new end-of-the-year rivals.

* Denotes a Big Ten Leaders Division game.

Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Twitter   @CFBExaminer.