Ohio State Qb "doesn't See" Penn State Nittany Lions As Rival

The Penn State Nittany Lions finished the 2024 football season with a 13-3 record and a spot in the Big Ten Conference Championship game against the Oregon Ducks. While the Nittany Lions did lose that game 45-37, they still landed the sixth seed in the College Football Playoffs, and advance two rounds before ultimately losing to the National Championship runners up in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

It was a fantastic campaign for the Nittany Lions, and one of the best to this point under head coach James Franklin. Despite the success, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard had some harsh words for Penn State this week.

"Penn State thinks that their rivals are Ohio State, and Ohio State just doesn't really see it that way," Howard told Ben Roethlisberger on the "Footbahlin" podcast.

Is Penn State a rival for Ohio State? Will Howard says no. https://t.co/5oBhj7C2Qhpic.twitter.com/dVwrLLnhKI

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) May 8, 2025

Howard, now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, only played the Nittany Lions once throughout his collegiate career. It came in 2025, his only season with the Buckeyes. It proved to be his worst game of the year, in terms of passing yards, as he threw for only 182 yards on 16-of-24 passing with two touchdowns and one interception. It marked the only game where he failed to reach 200 passing yards.

While Penn State may not be as big of a rival as the Michigan Wolverines are for Ohio State, the two teams are still on each other's schedule every year and it is a clash of titans everytime they meet. And in this year's matchup, with Jim Knowles flipping allegiances, the stakes will be much higher than they have been in recent years.

Jim Knowles calling Penn State about their Defensive Coordinator opening, and not the other way around, is all I need to know.

See you November 1st.

— Ohio’s Tate (@BarstoolTate) May 6, 2025

The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes meeting on the gridiron is a college football staple. Regardless of how Will Howard feels, the Nittany Lions must be looked at in some capacity as the Buckeyes' rival if he is still thinking about them, even while now being in the NFL.