Yesterday in Happy Valley could often be heard, the echoes of the Nittany Lions’ rallying cry, "We are…Penn State!"
Once that was silenced by our Scarlett and Gray legion, I wondered, Who IS Penn State?
As a Buckeye fan, I do not recognize Penn State as a rival. But, who is Penn State, to a Buckeye?
Most years, I view Penn State as a surmountable obstacle. There have been exceptions, of course, including some unpleasant surprises. But these have been rare occurrences.
If I were to summon analogies, I would liken the Penn State football team and its fans (especially, those on Black Shoe Diaries) to this idea from Marvel’s Planet of the Apes #5 (1974) entitled, Evolution’s Nightmare:
https://planetoftheapes.fandom.com/wiki/Evolution%27s_Nightmare
And I would compare a road trip to Happy Valley, to the Creature Cantina in Star Wars:
How would you describe our non-rival, Penn State?