The Penn State Nittany Lions kick off conference play on Saturday night as No. 19 Illinois comes to Happy Valley for a showdown under the lights in Beaver Stadium. The red-hot Fighting Illini come into Saturday 4-0 and are off to their best start in over a decade. Happy Valley Insider gets you primed for the showdown with how to watch, betting odds, weather report and more.

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When: Saturday, September 28th. 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Beaver Stadium (106,572)

TV: NBC/Peacock | Noah Eagle (PxP), Todd Blackledge (Analyst), Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Radio: Penn State Sports Network | Steve Jones (PxP), Jack Ham (Analyst), Brian Tripp (Sideline)

SiriusXM: 83/198/SXM App

As of Friday morning, Penn State is a 17.5-point favorite (-1200 moneyline) over the Illini, and the over/under for the game is set at 47.5 points.

Penn State - James Franklin (11th year at Penn State; 12th overall)

- Career Record: 115-54
- Record at Penn State: 91-39
- Record against Illinois: 4-2
- Career Accolades: 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year, 2016 Big Ten Champion

Illinois Fighting Illini - Bret Bielema (4th year at Illinois; 16th overall)

- Career Record: 119-77
- Record at Illinois: 22-19
- Record against Penn State: 3-4
-Career Accolades: 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year (Wisconsin)

The Weather Channel provided a weather report for tomorrow's night game, which includes a game-time temperature around 70 degrees, with a six mile-per-hour wind and a 24% chance on precipitation between 7:00-8:00 p.m..

ALL TIME RECORD: Penn State 21-6

Penn State has held the upper hand against the Fighting Illini since the two became Big Ten foes in 1993. The Nittany Lions hold a 21-6 record all-time, which includes a 7-3 mark over the last ten meetings.

The last time Illinois came into Beaver Stadium to face a top ten squad was one of the top upsets of the year in 2021, when the Fighting Illini knocked off a the then 7th ranked Nittany Lions 20-18 in nine overtimes.

Penn State bounced back in the most recent battle, handing Illinois a 30-13 defeat in Champaign a year ago. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen each rushed for a touchdown in the victory, while the Penn State defense came up with four interceptions of Luke Altmyer.

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