10 juicy college football revenge games we can’t wait to see in 2020: LSU-Alabama, Notre Dame-Clemson, more
By John Buhler
4. Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (Saturday, Oct. 24)
The annual meeting between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions will likely decide who represents the Big Ten East in the conference title bout, and who will end up going to the College Football Playoff. These rivals have met every year since 1993, but the Buckeyes have owned this series of late, winning seven of the last eight ball games.
Penn State’s last victory over the Buckeyes came in State College four years ago. With an upset on their mind, the Nittany Lions are poised to end the Buckeyes’ dreams of a return trip to the playoff. Should Penn State beat Ohio State in Happy Valley, it will be the Nittany Lions who will reach the postseason tournament for the first time in school history, assuming one or fewer losses in 2020.
No matter how many fans will be in the stands, this one will be at night and the Penn Staters will be dressed in white. Ohio State may have the better quarterback, but the stage is set up for the Nittany Lions to succeed. It’s so hard to win on the road in a place like Beaver Stadium. Few rivalry games have playoff implications on the line, and this is the defining game of the Big Ten season.
3. Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs (Saturday, Oct. 31)
While this game may not guarantee a College Football Playoff berth, whoever wins down in Jacksonville between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs will surely win the SEC East. Even if this game’s winner doesn’t win in Atlanta vs. its SEC West opponent, a New Year’s Six bowl invitation is inevitable. Will this be the year the Gators stop the losing streak to the Dawgs?
Georgia has won the three previous meetings over rival Florida. Both programs should win at least 10 regular-season games apiece this fall. Though Dan Mullen has yet to beat Smart head-to-head, Florida has more stability at quarterback this year than does Georgia. While Kyle Trask is a more proven commodity at Florida, Jamie Newman is a Wake Forest graduate transfer.
With this game being played on a neutral-site on Halloween, anything not featuring Florida in orange and Georgia in black would be a disgrace for the viewing public. One of the greatest rivalries in college football is at its most hostile. With two of the top 10 teams in the country going at it, anything could happen down on the banks of the St. Johns River on Halloween afternoon.