UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., December 15, 2005 - Penn State fans will be treated to another outstanding home schedule in 2009 with the Big Ten Conference's announcement of the league schedules for the 2009 and '10 seasons.

The Nittany Lions will welcome old rival Syracuse to Beaver Stadium on September 12, 2009 to highlight the home non-conference schedule. Penn State will visit Syracuse on Sept. 13, 2008 to renew the 68-game series.

Penn State will host Temple on Sept. 19, 2009 and open Big Ten play by entertaining Iowa on Sept. 26. Big Ten rivals Minnesota (Oct. 17), Ohio State (Nov. 7) and Indiana (Nov. 14) also will travel to Happy Valley in 2009.

In 2010, the highlight of the non-conference slate is a Sept. 11 visit to Alabama, the first meeting between the national powers since 1990. The Crimson Tide will visit Beaver Stadium on Sept. 10, 2011. The home Big Ten schedule in 2010 brings conference foes Illinois (Oct. 2), Michigan (Oct. 23), Northwestern (Oct. 30) and Michigan State (Nov. 20) to State College.

The Nittany Lions will not meet Purdue and Wisconsin during the 2009-10 seasons under the Big Ten's two-year rotation of opponents.

Prior to the start of the series with Syracuse, Penn State will play two games against old rival Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions will travel to South Bend on September 9, 2006 in the first game between the two storied powers since 1992. The Lions will welcome Notre Dame to Beaver Stadium on September 8, 2007.

The NCAA is permitting 12 games starting with the 2006 season. Coach Joe Paterno's squad is playing several of the nation's premier programs during the non-conference portion of the schedule this decade. Among the Nittany Lions' non-conference opponents this decade: Miami, Fla. (2001), Southern Miss (2001), Virginia (2001-02), Nebraska (2002-03), Boston College (2003-04), Notre Dame (2006-07) and Syracuse (2008-09), with Alabama set for 2010-11 in a series the Crimson Tide requested be postponed from 2004-05.

The Nittany Lions (10-1) won a share of the Big Ten Championship and the conference's automatic berth into the Bowl Championship Series. Penn State will face ACC Champion Florida State in the 72nd FedEx Orange Bowl on January 3, 2006 at Dolphins Stadium. Kickoff is at 8:00 p.m. and the contest will air on ABC, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics.

 Penn State 2009 Football Schedule Date Opponent Sept. 5 TBA Sept. 12 Syracuse Sept. 19 Temple Sept. 26 Iowa Oct. 3 at Illinois Oct. 10 Open Oct. 17 Minnesota Oct. 24 at Michigan Oct. 31 at Northwestern Nov. 7 Ohio State Nov. 14 Indiana Nov. 21 at Michigan State Penn State 2010 Football Schedule Date Opponent Sept. 4 TBA Sept. 11 at Alabama Sept. 18 TBA Sept. 25 at Iowa Oct. 2 Illinois Oct. 9 Open Oct. 16 at Minnesota Oct. 23 Michigan Oct. 30 Northwestern Nov. 6 at Ohio State Nov. 13 at Indiana Nov. 20 Michigan State.