The Obligatory PSU Podcast features wide-ranging discussions of Penn State sports, Nittany Lions football in particular, and all things Penn State and Happy Valley from the cast of The Obligatory PSU Pregame Show: Former Penn State and NFL defensive lineman Brandon Noble (’92-97), campus icon Mike “the Mailman” Herr, Mount Nittany Conservancy Board Secretary Kevin Horne, and seven-time Sam's Club Member Chris Buchignani. Along with a rotating cast of characters from around State College and ...
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A video released by Penn State's Athletic Department after the famous 2016 Ohio State game that kick-started the program's revival from the sanction era showed Coach Franklin exhorting his team at halftime: "Opportunity is knocking." Eight years and zero wins over the Buckeyes later, opportunity is knocking again. This weekend, everything and the k…
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They called it a trap game. They said the Nittany Lions were vulnerable. They questioned our offense and dismissed our defense. But when the lights came on at Camp Randall, both units - each of them thriving in their own way this season under new coordinators - played complementary football, containing, and eventually bludgeoning, the Badgers. Even…
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James Franklin and the Nittany Lions got the coveted, elusive, statement-making win they so desperately needed by defeating USC... or so it seemed. The Trojans' College Park Collapse over Penn State's Bye Week underscored the point that if the program is to make its first appearance in the college football playoff, then the team must keep stacking …
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It may take an extra bus trip to Harrisburg to get there, but the road date everybody circled on Penn State's 2024 schedule is finally upon us. Conference expansion has delivered the first-ever meeting of the Nittany Lions and Trojans as Big Ten foes, and even though USC's upset loss at the hands of Minnesota drained the contest of much of its fanf…
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Well, "Bert" asked, and Nittany Nation answered. Penn State fans and media may have taken some liberties with the context around Bret Bielema's, "White Out Energy, whatever the hell that means," quotation, up to and including a passive-aggressive screening of a carefully-edited clip of it on the Beaver Stadium Jumbotron before kickoff. But find you…
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One mild upset in Lincoln and suddenly Penn State's Homecoming is set up for clash of nationally-ranked unbeatens under the Beaver Stadium lights that has fans calling for an impromtu and unofficial second "White Out" - a game that will surely have national viewers tuning in during the Georgia/Alabama commercial breaks. The University is also set t…
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During the dull offseason months when football-starved fans obsess over such things, many observers noted a conspicuous flaw in the final version of Penn State's 2024 schedule (not to be confused with the several other interim versions that came and went thanks to the ever-expanding ranks of the Big Ten). A bye week in only the third week of the se…
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In retrospect, perhaps it was inevitable: the season-opening road trip, the convincing win over a team and fanbase that talked a big game and couldn't back it up, the sleepy noon kickoff time, the unintimidating competition. Each of these factors combined to render all of Penn State, from the players and coaches on the field to their loyal supporte…
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College football is back in all its glory, and for Penn State and many other would-be contenders across America, the rites of Fall have been renewed. The Nittany Lions began the journey of 2024 on the road for a statement game that told everyone from the legions of ludicrously overconfident Mountaineer fans to the doubting Thomases on this very pro…
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Once again Chris is joined by fellow LION 90.7fm alum, former FIU and Miami Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Levine, to analyze the Nittany Lions roster in two installments, this time turning to the defense. Like the their counterparts on offense, the 2024 Nittany Lions D will be guided by a new coordinator, former Indiana head coach Tom Allen, who will…
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Per Obligatory tradition, one of our most popular features returns: the Penn State football preview in which Chris enlists the assistance of fellow LION 90.7fm alum, former FIU and Miami Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Levine, to analyze the Nittany Lions roster in two installments, beginning with the offense. As undergrads, they brought their half doz…
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On the cusp of another season of Nittany Lions football, the guys get together to discuss their dreams, aspirations, and fears for this year's team. Can new coordinators Andy Kotelnicki and Tom Allen bring the fresh perspective that jolts this squad into a higher gear? Will the talented depth so meticulously stockpiled through recruiting bear fruit…
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From the 12-team playoff to the "green dot," the 2024 college football season promises plenty of changes, large and small. As Penn State's opening kickoff in Morgantown approaches, the guys pause to reflect on all the newness coming to the sport this year and speculate about how it all might turn out. They share plenty of (occasionally insightful) …
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FALL '24 Episode 2: Can't Spell "Nihilist" without NIL
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Are you frustrated because the Nittany Lions appear to be losing out on recruits, at home in PA and across the country, because Old State can't seem to meet their lofty financial demands? Are you confused because even though we're nearly half a decade into the "NIL era," it still makes very little sense to you? Are you disappointed because you sens…
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FALL '24 Episode 1: Obligatory Origins
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Hey folks. Great news (maybe). If you’re reading this, it’s probably at least good news: The most lovable, least reliable Penn State podcast on earth is back, and this our promise to you - we’ll be here for every week, at least once per week, from now until at least the end of the calendar year, all thanks to the support of the awesome folks at For…
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Penn State wrapped up another 10-2 regular season that was, yes, in some respects a failure - a failure to achieve the lofty goals that were set justifiably high at the season's outset - but also represents a rarified outcome among all Power 5 programs. The guys look back on the how the 2023 campaign ended and discuss the future for the Nittany Lio…
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What more can you say? We try to come up with something. The guys wrap up the Michigan win over Penn State that slammed on the door on the Nittany Lions' hopes for making the four-team playoff before the format is retired at the end of this season. Could fan favorite Joe Moorhead return to Happy Valley? Will Penn State be in the market for a new de…
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For the second time in four weeks, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are facing one of the biggest games in recent program history. This time, they will play in the welcoming environs of Beaver Stadium and carry the hopes, not just of Nittany Nation, but the entire nation, with them. Can Penn State - America's Team for this one week - play the s…
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Penn State narrowly escapes what would have been a devastating loss to a terrible Indiana Hoosiers team and instead travels to College Park to face nose-diving Maryland with a hint of momentum from Drew Allar's game-winning deep strike. Will this faint hope prove to be merely a mirage, or did Allar's first interception unlock something crucial in h…
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FALL '23 Episode 6: Same S**t, Different Year
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Another meeting of top tens for the Nittany Lions. Another matchup with the Buckeyes. Another trip to the Horseshoe. And yet another predictably miserable result. For nine months, we built this team up as the one that was capable of breaking the cycle and finally putting Penn State into the four-team playoff field in its final year. When the moment…
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A fair reading of James Franklin's decade-long tenure at Penn State is that the entire thing has led up to this Saturday's game in Columbus, a meeting of undefeated national powers pitting the #7 Nittany Lions against the #3 Buckeyes. Penn State's roster has never been deeper. The teams have never been more evenly matched. The stakes has never been…
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Penn State made the rounds of all the national college football news outlets this week and even managed to rile up the famously even-tempered denizens of Twitter, all without even playing a game on Saturday. With the #6 Nittany Lions coming off a Bye and UMass up next on Homecoming, the week's big news came from James Franklin's Tuesday press confe…
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Your Penn State Nittany Lions roll into the Bye week 5-0 and ranked #6 in the nation, featuring a dominant defense and an offense that, despite averaging over 40 points per game, plays with maddening inconsistency. Kevin checks in with a report on the crypt-like silence of Ryan Field and the strong contingent of traveling Penn State fans, and all t…
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One, on its own, is an isolated incident. Two in a row is the start of a streak. So this podcast is going streaking. The guys are back this week to revel in the misfortune of the Iowa Hawkeyes, heap praise on the White Out crowd, and look ahead to Penn State's trip to Evanston for a sleepy 11am local kickoff against the Northwestern Wildcats. Come …
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FALL '23 Episode 1: Like Riding a Bike
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A few minor issues. A couple of miscues. Several handfuls of chocolate chips, and all the Utz chips you can eat for the next 32 years. The full cast reassembles to start playing themselves into game shape with #24 Iowa coming to Happy Valley to face off against #7 Penn State in the White Out. In this, the era of retreads, reboots, and canceled TV s…
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Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, or brain-eating zombies rising from the dead, or Notre Dame football underperforming unearned lofty expectations - the Obligatory podcast is back, and with it, perhaps a whiff of increased normalcy in our college football lives. After surviving a close call against Purdue in their now-traditional road confere…
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The format wasn't exactly a game, but if you traveled to Happy Valley or tuned to the Big Ten Network for exciting football action, your cause was already long since lost. Town and campus once again buzzed with the energy of excited students (many near the end of their Penn State journey) and returning alumni and fans; grills were fired up, and bee…
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The first "normal" Blue-White Weekend in nearly three years is nearly upon us, so Chris and Jim ruminate on the appeal of the overall event weekend, the scrimmage itself, and whatever possible nuggets of intel fans might expect to glean from this glorified practice that mostly offers a convenient excuse for a return trip home to Happy Valley. Will …
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Every sports fan forms lasting connections with certain players on their favorite teams, whether because of skill, toughness, personality, or all three. Sometimes it's an unforgettable performance in a crucial moment, others we simply gravitate toward a certain player for reasons even we don't understand. When it comes to standout performers worth …
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What is your favorite memory of Penn State football? Practically every fan of the Nittany Lions has at least one play, moment, or game from which they can recall almost every detail - what happened, and where they were, how they felt, and who was with them, when it did. As KSN's Keystone Kickoff show looks back over Penn State football throughout t…
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Astronomical payouts to star recruits, entire position groups, and even full recruiting classes have headlined the first year of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) monetization in college sports. Penn State hasn't managed any splashy numbers, and perhaps a pair of recently-announced NIL collectives can help change that. Are the Nittany Lions poised to…
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With Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour announcing her retirement plans, the search is on for the next person to lead State's athletics programs at a crucial juncture in the evolution of college sports. Jim and Chris discuss Barbour's legacy at PSU along with what qualities they'd want in the next athletic directo…
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In a very short time, the transfer portal has become the talk of the college football world, with the sport's de facto free agent market emerging as a key element in modern roster-building. Now that the dust has settled on the first normal season shaped by the wide-open transfer market, Jim and Chris assess the landscape and discuss which programs …
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While starting quarterback Sean Clifford's decision to return and play one final season for the Nittany Lions may have divided Penn State's online fan base, KSN's Jim Galanti harbors no reservations about the value of Clifford's comeback choice. Jim and Chris break down the reasons they're glad Clifford will again don the Blue and White for the 202…
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All over the college football landscape, loyalties and fortunes (in every sense of the word) are shifting at breakneck speed as head coaches are making bigger moves for bigger money than ever before. With James Franklin locked up and Penn State focused on replacing any assistants swept up in the chaos, Jim and Chris survey the carnage and pass snap…
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After a brief update on the status of the regular podcast, Chris and Jim take a broader look at the landscape of college football and the mounting challenges to the four-team format of the first-ever college football playoff. Conventional wisdom tells us that expansion is inevitable - eventually - but could the move to include more teams in the pos…
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With all the rumors swirling around James Franklin's future at Penn State and many talking heads insisting that certain jobs are obviously better than others, Jim and Chris take a step back to ponder what factors combine to actually make certain head coach positions "destination jobs." Does the conventional wisdom hold up that rabid fans, unreasona…
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Maybe moral victories are the best we can hope for when it comes to Penn State versus Ohio State. As another year passes without a win over the Buckeyes (this time handing OSU its longest winning streak against the Nittany Lions - five games and counting), most of Nittany Nation seems satisfied that the team played well and didn't get embarrassed. …
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One relatively routine hit on QB Sean Clifford during the first quarter of the Iowa game produced a dramatic ripple effect on Penn State's 2021 season and, quite possibly, beyond. A dominating offensive performance that, had it been sustained, would have likely resulted in the Lions leaving Kinnick victorious and destined for the top two instead fi…
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FALL '21 Episode 16: Post-Illinois, Pre-Ohio State Mega Show
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Over four agonizing, rain-soaked quarters and 75 overtime periods only vaguely resembling the sport of football, what had mostly felt like a decidedly-different, and potentially-special, season for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions descended into depressingly-familiar disappointment, as Penn State slowly transformed a campaign full of promise an…
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As the Nittany Lions prepare to return to action, Chris and Mailman are joined by Nathan Wilmot, the analytics columnist for For The Blogy, who has developed his own advanced metrics for quantifying the performance of college football teams. Nate looks back over Penn State's ups and downs through the first six games of 2021, a Top 10 half-campaign …
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FALL '21 Episode 14: Will Nittany Lions Become Penn State Employees?
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Even as the Nittany Lions chase another Big Ten title, fighting to defend a Top 10 ranking while battling the injury bug, it wouldn't be a season of the podcast without a couple of #Obligatory digressions, and what better time for one than coming off Penn State's bye week? (Boiler Up.) It has become increasingly difficult over the last 12 months fo…
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Hair metal rockers Cinderella perhaps put it best with their 1988 hit: "Don't Know What You Got (Til It's Gone)." Sean Clifford was shredding the vaunted Iowa Hawkeyes defense in hostile environs until an injury put him out of the game early in the second quarter. At that point, Penn State fans the world over, many of whom had harbored doubts about…
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FALL '21 Episode 13: Post-Iowa Therapy
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A game that began with the promise and excitement of a top 5 matchup for your Penn State Nittany Lions rapidly devolved into a frustrating and dispiriting war of attrition that ended, as nearly all such games at Kinnick Stadium do, in an agonizingly close loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. As one key Lion after another limped to the sidelines, the only thi…
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FALL '21 Episode 12: Penn State at Iowa
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Wrapping a week's worth of Penn State football news into one whirlwind podcast, our full cast of characters share one long, lingering glance back at the Stripe Out before closing the book on the Nittany Lions' non-revenge-game "Revenge Game" shutout of the Indiana Hoosiers. Brandon Noble, who once upon a time played for college-legend-turned-NFL-pu…
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In the midst of an exciting season that has seen the Penn State Nittany Lions rise to fourth in the nation after five weeks and on the eve of their biggest yet against Iowa, Jim and Chris take a moment to stop and smell the roses - specifically, to appreciate quarterback Sean Clifford and receiver Jahan Dotson, who connected for two scores against …
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FALL '21 Episode 11: Indiana at Penn State
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No Penn State fan needs to be reminded about what transpired the last time the Nittany Lions faced Indiana's football team. The debacle of sloppy and undisciplined play, uninspired playcalling, and unearned bravado, capped off with a highly-controversial replay review, began State's disastrous fake season with a whimper. Now, undefeated Penn State …
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Maybe it's time to go back to "Legends" and "Leaders." After years of the scales tipping in favor of the Big Ten's East division, home to college football powerhouses Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan, the disparity between the two halves the conference seems even more pronounced in 2021. Chris and Jim look at the might East versus the lowly Wes…
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No matter how rosy and promising the big picture may appear, no matter how satisfying and cathartic the experience has been, no matter how well your expectations have been met (and probably exceeded) thus far, four games into a 4-0 season for Penn State that has seen the Nittany Lions climb the rankings all the way to number four in the nation, the…
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With nearly all of Penn State's divisional opponents in the Big Ten East showing substantial improvement early in the 2021 season and a number of difficult road contests still awaiting the Nittany Lions, there look to be precious few breathers on the upcoming schedule. That makes this weekend's visit from the FCS Villanova Wildcats an important opp…
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