Football enthusiasts got their first dose of a much-needed football medicine last week with the start of high school football.

It was just enough to get football fans to today, which is considered opening day of the college football season. That also means that at noon today (FOX) Penn State will face off with West Virginia in Morgantown for one of the most anticipated games of opening weekend.

The trash talk between the two fan bases has been great on social media leading up to this one. It’s exactly the type of excitement you want surrounding this type of game. It’s sure to be a raucous atmosphere, so don’t be surprised if the Nittany Lions start a little slow until they settle in with their run game.

In my opinion, the key match-up in this one is the West Virginia offense vs. the Penn State defense. The Mountaineers’ rushing attack has been highly regarded by most of the college football pundits coming into the season with running backs Jahiem White (842 yards and four touchdowns) and CJ Donaldson Jr. (798 yards and 11 touchdowns) returning. Also, quarterback Garrett Greene returns and is a serious threat with his legs, as he finished the season with 772 rushing yards and 13 rushing scores. Last season, West Virginia averaged 228.9 yards on the ground, which ranked third in the country.

It’s pretty simple. For the Mountaineers to win this game they’re going to have to be able to run the football. I don’t think that is going to be as easy as everyone who is backing West Virginia in this one thinks it is going to be. Once again, Penn State’s defense will be very good this season, and the strength of the group is up the middle, especially in the trenches. Veteran defensive tackles Zane Durant, Dvon J-Thomas, Hakeem Beamon and Coziah Izzard all return. All these returnees have played significant snaps for the last two to three years.

Last season, the Penn State defense was the best unit against the run in the country, giving up just 75.5 rushing yards per game.

Even in last season’s match-up, the Mountaineers were only able to average 3.7 yards per carry. So the narrative that West Virginia ran the ball well last year against Penn State and that it will do the same in this game is a little misguided. Yes, Garrett Greene had some nice runs, and I’m sure he will make some plays with his legs later today. But I think that it’s going to be tough for the Mountaineers to run the football on this Penn State defense.

That means it’s going to come down to Greene making some plays with his arm, and that is where I believe the trouble might be for the West Virginia offense. The Mountaineers struggled in the passing game last season, averaging just 205.7 yards per game, which ranked 89th in the country. Penn State has a pair of defensive ends in Dani Dennis-Sutton and Abdul Carter that can get to the quarterback as good as any other edge rushing group in the country. I believe it’s going to be difficult for the Mountaineers to protect Greene in the passing game.

The Nittany Lions registered a program-best 49 sacks, while leading the country in total sacks (49), sacks per game (3.77), and tackles for loss per game (8.5). Pair that with an aggressive, fast and talented Nittany Lions secondary that is two and even three deep at every position in the defensive backfield. Greene threw for just 162 yards against Penn State last season.

If the Nittany Lions are to take the next step this season, then Penn State junior quarterback Drew Allar is going to have to undoubtedly be better, especially in the marquee match-ups. Allar was pretty good against everybody not named Ohio State and Michigan last season, which was one of the big reasons why the Nittany Lions finished 10-2. The offense as a whole lacked innovation and explosion as Allar rarely took chances pushing the ball down the field. The addition of former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will hopefully change that as Kotelnick’s offenses both at Buffalo and at Kansas were known for creating explosive plays.

Also, one of Allar’s best games last season came against West Virginia. As a true sophomore in his first career start, Allar threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns. The West Virginia defense did improve as the season went on, and it finished first in the Big 12 with 33 sacks. However, the Mountaineers gave up 38 points and 478 total yards to the Nittany Lions in that game a year ago, and WVU has invested heavily in the transfer portal to try and plug some of its holes on the defensive side of the ball.

I think Penn State’s speed and physicality in the run game with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen will give it the edge throughout the game. I also think Allar’s experience, coupled with Kotelnicki’s play-calling will make the Penn State offense more of a threat in the passing game this season.

My pick is Penn State 39, West Virginia 16.