Monongalia County Schools will close on Friday in anticipation of The Pat McAfee Show coming to West Virginia University ahead of Week 1 against Penn State

The Pat McAfee Show will head to Morgantown, West Virginia on Friday ahead of Saturday’s Week 1 matchup between the Mountaineers and Penn State Nittany Lions.

The West Virginia Mountaineers will host No. 8 Penn State University on Saturday in a Week 1 College Football matchup that’s obviously drawing national attention – which prompted The Pat McAfee Show to setup shop on the West Virginia campus in Morgantown for a live broadcast on Friday.

The Pat McAfee Show will be broadcasting live from noon to 3 pm outside the Life Sciences Building, and air from noon to 2 pm on ESPN2 and from 2-3 pm on YouTube.

The Pat McAfee Show LIVE from outside the WVU Life Sciences Building:

McAfee, a WVU alumni is definitely going to bring the crowds to campus, which prompted Monongalia County Schools to give students a surprise day off to help combat the influx of traffic in the area.

On Wednesday, Monongalia County Schools announced that all schools would be closed on Friday. Expected traffic chaos and potential delays that could disrupt bus schedules, according to a statement posted on the district’s Facebook page.

Sam Kirk from the local NBC affiliate WBOY explained that the heavy traffic around campus, largely due to McAfee’s live broadcast, played a big role in the decision.

As for WVU students, college classes will still be held on Friday, adding to the congestion – not like it matters.

As a WVU alumni, the party starts Friday morning and will roll right into Week 1 on Saturday, with Penn State coming to town for a noon matchup at Mountaineer Field / Milan Puskar Stadium.

Drew Smith: WVU Alumni – Class of 2010

College GameDay won’t be in Morgantown as ESPN’s signature pregame show will be heading to Texas A&M for the Aggies’ opener against Notre Dame but McAfee is still set to do his live show on Friday.

While the media believes that McAfee’s show on Friday will be a little more ‘low key’ than his Week 0 broadcast from Ireland, like clockwork, they are downplaying how insane West Virginia University is going to be this weekend ahead of PSU on Saturday.

My guess, it’s going to be absolute chaos.

No. 8 Penn State vs. West Virginia

• When: Noon ET Saturday
• Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV
• TV: FOX
• Streaming: Fox Sports app
• Betting line: Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel
• Series history: Penn State leads 49-9-2
• Last meeting: Penn State 38-15 in 2023

Bet the house on West Virginia University

Listen, I know West Virginia University has a tough Week 1 matchup against Penn State but here’s what the majority of college football fans do not know about the Mountaineers.

They win games like this all of the time and then will lose what’s supposed to be a cakewalk win later in the season. WVU +8.5 is their line.

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Everyone likes to reference what happened last year in Happy Valley, with Penn State beating the Mountaineers 38-15. What they always fail to mention is that the game itself was highly-contested until midway through the third quarter when the Lions eventually pulled away.

James Franklin always desperate to make a statement outside of when he plays Ohio State or Michigan, then pulled one of the most cowardly, classless moves in college football history.

With 100,000+ cultists in attendance, James Franklin just couldn’t help himself as backup QB Beau Pribula took the snap and managed to sneak his way into the end zone for a touchdown with six seconds left of the clock.

Zero Class: Penn State scores a touchdown with 6 seconds left to cover and cash the over against West Virginia >>

This year, the game is at noon in Mountaineer country and I fully expect WVU to catch the Nittany Lions sleeping and steal this game from right under James Franklin.

Obviously, Penn State has a better roster and more “star power” – especially on the defensive side of the football. However, no matter what Nittany Lions fans tell you, their faith in James Franklin to win football games on the road, especially in Week 1, isn’t great. 

Saturday will be the sixth “opening game” for Penn State under James Franklin. During his five-year career, he’s 3-2 overall and if you take a step back Penn State is notorious crumbles under Week 1 pressure. 

Week 1 Woes for Penn State:

• 2014: Penn State 26, Central Florida 24
• 2015: Temple 27, Penn State 10 
• 2020: Indiana 36, Penn State 35
• 2021: Penn State 16, Wisconsin 10 
• 2022: Penn State 35, Purdue 31 

WVU will return the majority of the offense from last season. It’s a unit that really found it’s footing later in the season and the hype around Garrett Greene this year has Mountaineer fans thinking that they will finally return to glory after years of football and basketball disappointment in Morgantown. 

Greene is back for his second year as the starter, and he’s already turned heads with 13 rushing touchdowns last season—tops among FBS quarterbacks.

Last year in Happy Valley, Greene  managed to carve up Penn State’s defense, but the offensive unit as a whole failed to put points on the scoreboard.

He rushed for 71 yards. The WVU ground attack is definitely something that PSU will be looking to contain, which should open up the field for Greene to find someone down field.

See you at high-noon for Week 1 in Morgantown. WVU. OUTRIGHT.

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