Penn State fans learned that the Nittany Lions will welcome their Land Grant Trophy rival Michigan State back to the schedule in 2015 and 2016 as the Big Ten announced its conference slates for those years on Monday. The games will mark the schools' first meetings since a 28-22 Michigan State victory in 2010, the last game in the series before the teams were split into separate divisions within the league beginning in 2011.
The Spartans' fellow Legends Division foe Iowa will also rotate back onto Penn State's schedule after rotating off for 2013-2014. Otherwise, the conference schedule is full of familiar faces as protected divisional crossover rival Nebraska will join Leaders Division foes Purdue, Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The announcement leaves Penn State with 11 dates set for both 2015 and 2016. The Lions will meet Temple, Buffalo and Rutgers in the non-conference portion of 2015 before facing Kent State, Pittsburgh and Temple in 2016. There is space for one more non-conference game on both schedules.
See the full schedules after the jump. Home games are capitalized.
2015
Sept. 5 at Temple
Sept. 12 BUFFALO
Sept. 19 RUTGERS
Sept. 26 TBA
Oct. 3 ILLINOIS
Oct. 10 at Ohio State
Oct. 24 PURDUE
Oct. 31 at Indiana
Nov. 7 IOWA
Nov. 14 at Michigan State
Nov. 21 NEBRASKA
Nov. 28 at Wisconsin
Dec. 5 Big Ten Championship Game
2016
Sept. 3 KENT STATE
Sept. 10 at Pittsburgh
Sept. 17 TEMPLE
Sept. 24 TBA
Oct. 1 at Illinois
Oct. 15 INDIANA
Oct. 22 at Purdue
Oct. 29 OHIO STATE
Nov. 5 at Iowa
Nov. 12 MICHIGAN STATE
Nov. 19 at Nebraska
Nov. 26 WISCONSIN
Dec. 3 Big Ten Championship Game