Penn State Football: 10 Storylines to Watch in 2025
We’re getting close. Penn State football opens camp today. James Franklin, his staff, and the players meet the press this Saturday for the annual Football Media Day. Other teams in the Franklin era have entered the season with lofty expectations, but not since before the 1999 season has the national hype around the Nittany Lions matched the local fervor. We all hope 2025 has a happier ending than that ill-fated ’99 campaign, which saw the team start 9-0 before dropping three games in a row. To escape the shadows of their past – both distant and recent – an experienced roster that boasts as much talent and depth as Franklin has ever assembled must play to its potential, which is good enough to win State’s first (claimed) national title since the 1980s.
Downtown State College Real Estate Is the New Oceanfront
In State College, what you hear isn’t waves crashing, it’s the roar of over 108,000 fans at Beaver Stadium, the energy of nearly 50,000 returning students, and alumni who aren’t merely visiting, they’re investing. With cranes set to rise this October, more than one-third of the 70 units at the Nittany Residence Club are already under contract, clear evidence that the market is speaking. Real dollars are validating demand for downtown living.
HAPPY VALLEY UPCOMING EVENTS
Current listing of events in Happy Valley.
Our V8 Moment: The Future of Happy Valley Is Tourism — And It’s Already Here
How our students, fans, alums, retirees, outdoor lovers, and trail towns are quietly powering the most resilient economy in Pennsylvania. After four years of publishing over 600 custom stories—and diving deep into the data behind jobs, population, and regional trends—a powerful pattern emerged: Tourism isn’t just part of our economy. It is the engine.
Penn State Recent Grad takes the Road Less Traveled
Just a few months ago, I stood at the same fork in the road that every soon-to-graduate engineering student eventually faces: take the safe job with steady pay and benefits—or roll the dice on something riskier, less defined, and potentially way more fulfilling.
I chose “the gamble”. And I’ve never been happier.
Why I Love Happy Valley: Fly Fishing in Spruce Creek, Up Next
I grew up in Julian — a quiet corner of Happy Valley where the outdoors wasn’t just a backdrop, it was a way of life. I went to Bald Eagle Area High School, spent my weekends on horseback, learned to hunt in the nearby woods, and fished local streams with my family.
Now, I’m a Penn State student, heading into my senior year this fall as an Agribusiness major. But long before college classes and career plans, I knew where I belonged — outside. Whether I was in the saddle, in the woods, or waist-deep in a cold creek with a fly rod in hand, the outdoors called to me.
The Game Behind the Game: What Every Local Needs to Know About Penn State Football in 2025
As the 2025 college football season kicks off, Penn State finds itself at the center of one of the most transformative eras in college athletics history. Beyond the touchdowns and tailgates, the evolving financial, legal, and operational forces now shaping college football are reshaping the Happy Valley economy and our community. Here’s your guide to all the moving parts.
A Snapshot in Time: Happy Valley’s Pink Pony Moment
It’s June 18, 2025.
There are just 45 workdays until students return for the first day of Penn State classes.
Have you been to a pool yet this summer?
Or has it just… rained every day since Memorial Day?
Around here, time moves both fast and strangely slow—until suddenly, it’s football season again. And this fall, as 100,000 fans pour into Beaver Stadium, there will be a moment—maybe between plays or during a timeout—when Pink Pony Club plays over the loudspeakers.
Stop and Smell the Roses
By Greg WoodmanReprinted from 1988 Football Preview What are the distinct geographical boundaries of the area called Happy Valley? Is it just the Penn State campus, Beaver Stadium, College Avenue, and five bars with lots of memories? If the area is growing as much as it appears, will Happy Valley soon be called “Big Valley” […]
