There’s a popular meme that’s been circulating on social media over the years, a GIF from Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, “The Dark Knight.”

Heath Ledger’s character, The Joker, looks out across the city landscape while his diabolical plan is underway, and he says with a wave of his hand, “Here. We. Go.”

That’s what this week has felt like for Penn State fans, with the formal announcement that Big Ten football would begin an abbreviated season in late October.

Earlier today, the Nittany Lions’ eight-game regular season was shared, with James Franklin and Co. starting with an Oct. 24 contest against the Hoosiers in Bloomington. The following week, Ohio State visits for a clash on Halloween (Oct. 31), and Penn State will also host Maryland (Nov. 7), Iowa (Nov. 21), and Michigan State (Dec. 12). The Nittany Lions’ other three road games are at Nebraska (Nov. 14), Michigan (Nov. 28), and Rutgers (Dec. 5). Penn State will then play a ninth game on Dec. 19 against an opponent-to-be-determined from the West Division.

This is all contingent on COVID-19 test results staying within the accepted positivity rates, and you can learn more about the medical protocols at GoPSUsports.com. There’s optimism the Big Ten will get through its season, if for no other reason that there’s been a tremendous amount of work that’s gone into ensuring student-athletes have a chance of competing this season, even in a shortened schedule.

Penn State Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour joined this week’s episode of The Football Letter Live, and you can see her appearance on the Alumni Association’s Facebook page. She joins the show near the beginning of the episode.

One other noteworthy item from the week: Barbour said that the Big Ten has decided that they won’t allow on-campus tailgating, and fans are encouraged to cheer on the Nittany Lions from their homes or other places where they’re adhering to the local social distancing guidelines that are in place. 

Look at this way: This year’s cheering section will expand across the country. We’re looking forward to hearing everyone roar on Oct. 24.

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