AUBURN, Alabama — (247 Sports) The return game of what ended up being one of the more exciting nonconference matchups last season now has its time and TV designation locked in.
In Week 3, Penn State travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium, as Auburn looks to avenge last season's 28-20 loss in Happy Valley. On Wednesday, CBS announced the Tigers and Nittany Lions will face off at 2:30 p.m. CST in CBS's first Power Five-only game of the season.
Auburn announced it will be an "orange-out" game.
Under the lights last season, Auburn fell to No. 10 Penn State on the road, allowing quarterback Sean Clifford to complete 28-of-32 passes. The Tigers drove down the field late in the fourth quarter, but Bo Nix couldn't hit Kobe Hudson on an end-zone fade on fourth-and-goal with 3:08 remaining.
The matchup will be Auburn's first against Penn State on the Plains; prior to last season, the teams had only ever met in bowl games. The Nittany Lions now lead in the series, 2-1.
Wednesday's announcement marks the first kickoff time or TV details for Auburn's 2022 schedule. The only other known tidbit for the Tigers' slate this fall is that the game following Penn State — a Sept. 24 matchup against Missouri inside Jordan-Hare Stadium — will be Auburn's homecoming.
Penn State marks the third of five straight home games to open the year for the Tigers — Auburn's longest such streak to begin a season since 2016, when the team started 3-2 and also had a marquee nonconference home game (Clemson).
Like Auburn, Penn State fell short of expectations last season, going 7-6. Clifford returns, as do a handful of important pieces on defense, as the Nittany Lions enter James Franklin's ninth year at the helm.
