Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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Penn State Hockey Preview: No. 16 UConn
No. 17 Penn State hockey officially drops the puck on the 2026-27 season tonight with a game against No. 16 UConn at the Ice Breaker Tournament. The Nittany Lions begin their 15th season in the NCAA with a rematch of the 2025 Allentown Regional Final, which Penn State won 3-2 in overtime to reach the […]
The 6 College Football Games to Watch in Week 6
Check out our conference preview for all the Big 10 action this weekend. Florida State at Louisville 7 p.m., ESPN (Friday) Both teams are in desperation mode as they try to avoid the season going into a complete tailspin. Florida State is coming in with momentum after pounding Virginia, although it’s been proven you can’t […]
What I Want To See From Penn State Against No. 18 USC
The mood is beyond despondent heading into the whiteout against USC on Saturday. Penn State is coming off back to back losses, one where they let a 17-point lead slip away, and another where they didn’t even get off the bus. People are already wondering if Matt Campbell is the right guy for the job, […]
BSD Mailbag 10.9.26
Is an Unranked PSU vs #19 USC a Big Game? If Penn State wins and USC inevitably goes 9-3 or 8-4, does that retroactively undo the status of Big Game as established by previous stipulations of the fanbase?–skarocksoi Boy, I hope we find out! Under the previous rules, it is NOT a big game if […]
BSD Staff Predictions Roundtable: USC
Following an embarrassing rout at the hands of Northwestern, the team is back at home for a White Out game against #19 USC. How does the staff see this one playing out? Chris I thought the offense had hit rock bottom in the second half of the Wisconsin game. I thought Northwestern’s run defense was […]
Penn State Hockey Seeks Fresh Start In 2026-27
Penn State is set to begin its 15th season in NCAA hockey tomorrow night when the Lions take on UConn at the Ice Breaker Tournament in Storrs, Connecticut. Just over six months ago, a highly-anticipated season came to a rather unassuming end with a 3-1 loss to Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA Tournament. In the following […]
Fall Sports Update: Women’s Volleyball Swept By Nebraska
Women’s Hockey (2-2) The women’s hockey team got back on track with 5-3 and 4-1 wins over Robert Morris to open conference play. Robert Morris scored two goals in the first minute of Game 1 before the Lions found their legs. Five different Nittany Lions scored the five goals, including freshman Sofia Ismael scoring her […]
BSD YouTube Show: Northwestern Fallout, Pat Kraft’s Job Security, & USC Preview
Another show, folks. We discuss more of the fallout from the Northwestern game now that a couple days have gone by. We take a look at Pat Kraft’s job security: is he really on the hot seat? Plus, we preview the USC game this weekend. Audio versions on Apple and Spotify as well.
Big Ten Preview: Week 6
Penn State doesn’t play until Saturday night, so there’s plenty of time to catch up on all of the other action around the Big Ten – if that’s something you still want to do. In actuality, there are some intriguing matchups, at least in terms of record that will go a long way in shaping […]
Penn State vs. #19 USC: Game Preview
The Nittany Lions seek their first win in Big Ten play after stumbling to an 0-2 start. in conference play. Penn State (3-2, 0-2) vs. USC (5-1, 2-1) Kickoff: 7:30 p.m., Beaver Stadium, State College, PA The Betting Line: Penn State -1.5 (Fanduel) TV: NBC, 7:30 p.m., Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Kathryn Tappen (sideline) Weather: A cloudy day […]
Lion Tales: USC
USC will make the journey to Beaver Stadium for the first time in more than 30 years on Saturday night for the annual White Out. Today’s Lion Tales goes back to that trip – September 10, 1994. One can never write or think about that 1994 team too often, but a little context headed into […]
Just the Stats: Penn State vs No. 19 Southern Cal
Penn State Nittany Lions (3-2; 0-2 Big Ten) vs USC Trojans (5-1; 2-1 Big Ten) 7:30 p.m. ET, October 10 – NBC Beaver Stadium (Capacity: 106,572 / University Park, PA) Tableizer using codebeautify.org Penn State Value (Nat’l Rank) Value (Nat’l Rank) USC Advantage Rushing Offense (ypg) 156.4 (73) 118.2 (43) Rushing Defense (ypg) Passing Offense […]
What We Learned About College Football in Week 5
The Big Ten’s Cluster of Disappointment Heading into the season, USC, Washington, Michigan and Penn State were all expected to compete for a playoff berth. It’s not looking promising for any of those teams. Washington looked sluggish in non-conference play before starting 0-2 in the Big Ten while being riddled with injuries. Penn State and […]
Penn State Commits in Action: NJ Athlete Continues to Shine
Well, things are not going very well for current Penn State football players. Let’s take a look to the future and check in on some of the players who could shape the Nittany Lions’ roster in years to come. Three-star defensive lineman Carter Blattner hit double-digit tackles in a huge win for Northern Highlands (NJ) […]
Bowl Projections 2026: Week 5
Welcome back to our weekly series tracking some of the bowl/CFP picks for Penn State football following each game, This season, we will follow ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS Sports, with occasional bonus picks from other publications. Yahoo Sports/Sports Illustrated: Bowl/CFP: Music City Location: Nashville, TN Date: December 30, 2026 Opponent: Kentucky Wildcats CBS Sports: Bowl/CFP: […]
Midweek Musings – Now What?
Penn State football appears to be standing at the edge of a cliff. Or, has potentially already gone over it, depending on your outlook. Perhaps the most apt metaphor is like when a vehicle has run off the road and is perched precariously on the precipice (how’s that for some alliteration) with the front tires […]
This Week In Happy Valley: Slow Starts
Penn State football has struggled with physicality this season. Penn State’s game against Michigan on October 17 will kick off at 3:30pm. White Out ticket prices have plummeted since Penn State’s loss to Northwestern. Penn State announces added student seating for Saturday’s game against USC. Gavin McKenna has had a slow start in his first […]
Blessed & Honored: Penn State Prepares For White Out Visitors
Over 80 Recruits Scheduled For White Out Visit As of Tuesday morning, at least 80 recruits are scheduled to visit Beaver Stadium for Saturday night’s White Out game against USC: Several blue chip prospects are scheduled to attend. The White Out game is always the most important recruiting weekend during the football season, as potential […]
Nittany Lions in the NFL 2026: Week 4
Here’s a list of the current Nittany Lions in the NFL listed by 53-man roster. As a reminder, only players on the active roster or IR, and who finished their college career at Penn State without transferring away are included. Italicized= rookies. Arizona Cardinals: Blake Gillikin, Kalen KingAtlanta Falcons: Jahan DotsonBaltimore Ravens: Olaivavega IoaneBuffalo Bills: […]
Big Ten Power Rankings – Week 5
Hello there and welcome to the Big Ten Power Rankings! Each week we’ll rank how the teams across the conference are playing, in the hopes of seeing just who is a contender, and who is a pretender over the course of the season. The rules are few, but resolute: Teams are ranked by how they’re […]
30 Random Thoughts About What The Heck Is Happening At Penn State
1. Last Tuesday after the Wisconsin game, I said how I love writing for BSD but that Random Thoughts after a tough loss is brutal. 2. Well, here we are again. 3. I’m not going to really talk about the game though. It was horrible. Every part of it. Completely unenjoyable. Penn State got pantsed […]
Big Ten Superlatives: Week 5
Penn State played Friday night. You watched it and didn’t have fun. But there were other games, some just as bad, this weekend. Here’s what happened around the conference this past weekend. Best Win of the Week: Purdue wins a P4 game The Boilermakers had not won a game against a conference team, or even […]
CFP Bracketology: Week 5
After a few chaotic weeks of college football, Week 5 felt much more like business as usual. There were not as many high-quality matchups this week, which leaves the field mostly the same as the week before. My CFP projections after Week 5: Some notes from Week 5:
Stock Up, Stock Down (10.5.26)
STOCK UP Jeremiah Smith In a college football world where it doesn’t feel like any one team is head and shoulders above everyone else, that doesn’t necessarily seem to be the case when it comes to the individual players because what Jeremiah Smith is doing right now is ridiculous. He is fresh off a dominant […]
BSD MVP: Chase Sowell
There weren’t a lot of bright spots for Penn State in last Friday’s blowout loss at Northwestern. But, ironically, one of those came at the wide receiver position. The Lions are without Koby Howard for at least another week, but Penn State had a reliable receiver against the Wildcats. Chase Sowell tied for the team […]
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