The 2020 Penn State football season is finally here.

Nittany Lions faithful have been eagerly awaiting the opener as Dec. 28, 2019 was the last time Penn State competed on a football field.

This afternoon’s kick (FS1, 3:30 p.m. EST) is the first Nittany Lions October season opener since 1948 and it’s their latest season opener since World War I restrictions and an influenza pandemic prevented the 1918 season from kicking off until Nov. 2.

In my schedule breakdown and game predictions that was published last Saturday - which I picked Penn State to go 8-0, by the way if you missed it - I mentioned that this season’s Nittany Lions team is the most talented since the 2008 squad that went 11-2 and finished as the Big Ten co-champions. Seventeen starters return (10 offense, four defense and three special teams) from a team that went 11-2 last season.

Penn State, without even playing a game, is ranked eighth in the AP Top 25 and seventh in the Coaches Poll, which means the top analysts and writers in the country believe this is a Nittany Lions team that can potentially battle for a Big Ten championship and possible College Football Playoff berth.

Standing in Penn State’s way, though, in Week 1 is a tough and talented opponent in the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana returns most of its talent from an 8-5 team, which is the first Hoosiers team to win eight games in a season since 1993. It was also Indiana’s first winning season in Big Ten play since 1993.

If Indiana is to mirror its success from a season ago, and possibly even improve upon it, Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will be a big reason why. Penix Jr., who has been riddled with injuries in his career, is very skilled and threw for 1,394 yards and 10 touchdowns with four interceptions, and also ran for 119 yards and two scores, a season ago before an injury ended his season in early November.

Penix Jr. can do damage with both his arm and his legs and will have two playmakers at wide receiver in Whop Filyor (1,002 yards, 5 TDs) and Ty Fryfogle (604 yards, 3 TDs) and a really good tight end in Peyton Hendershot (622 yards, 4 TDs) to spread the ball around to. If Indiana is going to have success on the day, it’s going to come from its passing game that Penn State struggled to stop last season (it gave up 371 yards through the air to the Hoosiers).

The deterrent to Penix Jr. and the Indiana pass offense, I believe, will be the Nittany Lions’ defensive line. Penn State’s speed and athleticism on the defensive line is a mismatch against a shaky offensive line group for Indiana.

Defensive ends Shaka Toney, Jayson Oweh, Shane Simmons and Adisa Isaac should be in the Hoosiers’ backfield throughout the game. On the back end, this could be the best secondary the Nittany Lions have fielded in years. Veteran safeties Lamont Wade and Jaquan Brisker are playmakers and paired with a deep cornerback group led by lanky 6-2 breakout candidate Joey Porter Jr. and veteran Tariq Castro-Fields, it could be a tough day at the office for Penix Jr. I know Indiana has a dangerous offense, but I think Penix Jr. will be under consistent duress throughout the game, which will result in some Hoosiers’ turnovers.

Offensively, the worry from most Penn State faithful spurs from the wide receiver group. There is some cause for concern there with the loss of speedster K.J. Hamler and the only legitimate experienced receiver besides All-American tight end Pat Freiermuth returning is Jahan Dotson (488 yards, 5 TDs). I honestly think the receiving group will be fine, led by Dotson and a host of young and talented but inexperienced players. But I don’t think the receivers will need to carry the load in this one.

Penn State returns five offensive lineman this season - all with significant starting experience - with one of the most talented backfields in the Big Ten. The leader of that group, Journey Brown, will be out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury due to a medical condition, but sophomores Noah Cain (443 yards, 8 TDs) and Devyn Ford (294 yards, 3 TDs) will form a nice one-two punch of thunder and lightning. Cain showed his ability to consistently gain positive grinding yardage a season ago and is a force in the red zone. Ford is a dynamic athlete, who can catch the ball out of the backfield. Also, true freshmen Caziah Holmes and Keyvonne Lee were both highly-recruited and have shined in preseason.

Even with Indiana returning all four starters on its defensive front, I don’t see how Penn State won’t control the line of scrimmage as they did a season ago, rushing for 192 yards. Penn State averaged just over 190 yards rushing per game last season and I think it surpasses that mark today.

This afternoon’s match-up on the road with Indiana will be a tough test for the Nittany Lions. Over the past few seasons, the Hoosiers have come close, with Penn State winning by an average of just six points. Many out there believe that this is the best Indiana team in decades and they could very well be right, but as I mentioned before, this is the best Nittany Lions team in over a decade.

The Hoosiers will battle, but in the end Penn State is just too good up front in this one for Indiana to overcome.

My pick is Penn State 34, Indiana 24.