Morning Cup of Joe: One month closer to Penn State vs. Temple

33 days and counting…

We flipped the page on our wall calendars this weekend, that is if any of you still use a wall calendar. We have now moved from July to August to bring us one month closer to the start of Penn State’s football season. Your Nittany Lions will open the new season in Lincoln Financial Field against the Temple Owls, so you might want to pay mild attention to the American Athletic Conference media day news this week. Temple may not be considered a conference favorite, but the Owls seem to have some good vibes surrounding them. The Penn State game, for them, will be a bit of a statement opportunity.

As you may have learned by now, and if you read this site this weekend then you surely are up to speed, the Big Ten is moving to a nine-game conference schedule and members are committing to playing one power conference opponent each season starting in 2016. Penn State will satisfy that commitment most years through the early 2020s, but expect this to lead to talks about reviving the series with Pittsburgh in the next month or so. Or scan this wish list and make a case for one of those schools to be added to the future schedule.

Mark your calendar. Penn State media day is this Thursday.

Around the Big Ten

So, about that Big Ten scheduling commitment again. Is it really that big of a deal, or just the latest way for Jim Delany to control the message? The Student Section’s Matt Zemek breaks it down.

More From The Student Section:

• Biggest challenge in the Big Ten for Ohio State?
• Most intriguing games of 2015 in the Big Ten
• Top 7 Big Ten Heisman Candidates

Talking 10 recaps Big Ten Media Days: Day 1, Day 2

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said coaches voted 14-0 against moving to a 9-game schedule in the Big Ten.

Michigan’s Joe Bolden has no regrets over the tent stake incident at Michigan State last season.

Urban Meyer’s name is trademarked.

Around the Nation

The Mountain West Conference is moving to an 8-man officiating crew… Auburn’s new scoreboard is big… UCLA’s Jim Mora prefers to use one QB… No Pac-12 expansion on the horizon… Alabama and Louisville opening 2018 in Orlando.

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