PSU faces schedule shakeup

Scheduling rumors have surrounded Penn State ever since the NCAA imposed sanctions on the program last summer.

Right now, all that's certain is that the Nittany Lions will not be hosting Virginia this September as originally planned.

Penn State athletic director Dave Joyner said Monday that Virginia notified Penn State that it would not be playing the Sept. 14, 2013 game scheduled for Beaver Stadium in order to play a home game on that date.

We are working with Virginia to re-schedule the game for Beaver Stadium in a future season, Joyner said in a statement. We have begun discussions to find an opponent for the Sept. 14 date and expect to make that announcement very soon.

A report by the Orlando Sentinel late last week said that Central Florida would face Penn State this coming season, with the Lions traveling to UCF in 2014. Neither school has confirmed that a deal is in place.

A series against the Knights would be feasible, as Penn State coach Bill O'Brien is particularly close with UCF coach George O'Leary, whom O'Brien worked for at Georgia Tech. Penn State has also been exploring options in playing non-conference games in warm-weather climates to take the place of trips to bowl games during the team's four-year postseason ban.

Penn State played the first game of the scheduled home-and-home against Virginia last September, losing 17-16 in Charlottesville.

It's our desire to reschedule the game at Penn State in the future and we're hopeful we can come to an agreement as to when that will happen soon, Virginia associate athletic director Jon Oliver said in a statement. 

Virginia and Oregon announced a home-and-home series with one another earlier on Monday with the Ducks heading east for a game on Sept. 7.

Penn State is still scheduled to open the 2013 season against Syracuse on Aug. 31 at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The home opener would come Sept. 7 against Eastern Michigan. Sept. 14 is now vacant and the non-conference schedule wraps up on Sept. 21 against Kent State at Beaver Stadium.

Whether it ends up being UCF or another team, the replacement for Virginia will almost certainly travel to Happy Valley for the game. Penn State has only six home games scheduled at the moment and the athletic department budget requires at least seven.