There's no denying it: Excitement is in the air in Happy Valley. Autumn's arrival always brings the energy of students returning to campus and the anticipation of another Penn State football season, but the attention and enthusiasm swirling around this year's version of the Nittany Lions is something special. With Penn State debuting at #3 in the Coaches Poll and a litany of national talking heads naming James Franklin's squad as the team to beat for the national title, the preseason hype has been cranked up to 11 for the first time since the salad days of the Paterno era. With this backdrop, Chris and Mailman talk about their trip to Football Media Day and discuss with Kevin the pros and cons of intense scrutiny like State hasn't seen since junior linebacker LaVar Arrington's turn on the cover of Sports Illustrated's 1999 season preview mag.

HOSTED BY: Mike "The Mailman" Herr, Kevin Horne, Chris Buchignani

The Obligatory PSU Podcast is brought to you all season long by Gold Hen, a Penn State alumni-owned company, makers of the truly one-of-a-kind Gold Hen Bloody Mary Mix. Try it today by going to: GoldHenLLC.com

The unique flavor profile of Gold Hen Bloody Mary Mix complements a variety of alcohols and makes an excellent marinade or cooking ingredient.

The best way to support the show this season is to try some for yourself – go to GoldHenLLC.com and take 10% off at checkout with the promo code: MAILMAN

Welcome the podcast's Fall 2025 sponsor: Gold Hen *Use promo code MAILMAN at checkout

The roster has never been deeper or more talented. The vibes have never been more positive. According to James Franklin, the alignment with administration and support from boosters has never been better. In Franklin's tenure, entering its 12th year, the expectations have never been greater, and that means the stakes have never been higher. So with all these top talents returning to Penn State for one final run and the national spotlight shining brightly on Happy Valley, does the elevated hype mean a higher standard for success this Fall? As we enter the final stretch of an offseason full of "championship or bust" talk, the guys kick off the new podcast season discussing how they define "success" for the 2025 Nittany Lions.

HOSTED BY: Brandon Noble, Mike "The Mailman" Herr, Kevin Horne, Chris Buchignani

The Obligatory PSU Podcast is brought to you all season long by Gold Hen, a Penn State alumni-owned company, makers of the truly one-of-a-kind Gold Hen Bloody Mary Mix. Try it today by going to: GoldHenLLC.com

The unique flavor profile of Gold Hen Bloody Mary Mix complements a variety of alcohols and makes an excellent marinade or cooking ingredient.

The best way to support the show this season is to try some for yourself – go to GoldHenLLC.com and take 10% off at checkout with the promo code: MAILMAN

As with our Fall roster breakdowns, Chris enlists the assistance of fellow LION 90.7fm alum, former FIU and Miami Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Levine, to analyze the Nittany Lions' current complement of talent as Spring football comes to a close and yet another "transfer portal window" lurches toward merciful closure. With a lengthy list of returning stars, much is certain about the title-contending squad State will field in the Fall, and yet a surprising number of questions abound. Heading into Blue-White weekend, we detail the pitched position battles and critical depth chart decisions that will shape the destiny of the 2025 Nittany Lions (in probably far greater detail than listeners of this podcast need or want). Enjoy!

HOSTED BY: Chris Buchignani

GUESTS: Mike Levine

Grab your pencil and your paper. We take one last, lingering look back at 2024, in all its glory and heartbreak, before turning our attention to a new season brimming with promise, as another Blue-White weekend ushers in a Summer of hope.

HOSTED BY: Brandon Noble, Mike "The Mailman" Herr, Kevin Horne, Chris Buchignani

BREAKING NEWS, BONUS CONTENT!

James Franklin and Pat Kraft swung for the fences and made contact. Chris and Brandon give their snap reactions to Penn State's tectonic move to break the bank and poach Jim Knowles from the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes to becomes the new Nittany Lions defensive coordinator.

Full podcast to follow soon.

Watch on For The Blogy's YouTube: https://youtu.be/wV9IJF-IWhU?si=DtiVHV7bd6nkjcSh

HOSTED BY: Brandon Noble, Chris Buchignani

A sad fact of sports fandom is that most seasons end in disappointment. The higher you scale the ladder of anticipation, the harder the crash if you falter, and it is also an unfortunate truth that the pain of some losses can cut so deep and last so long that it crowds the many happy memories of the wins that came before. The Nittany Lions ended their historic 2024 campaign snatching misery from the jaws of euphoria. So with Noble at the coaches convention and Mailman probably off skulking around the dark and undesirable corners of State College, Chris and Kevin connected for an impromptu therapy session to being sorting it all out.

We'll release a proper season retrospective with the full cast, but until we can assemble the complete team, please "enjoy" this spontaneous discussion we hope can serve as some chicken soup for the ailing Penn State fan's soul.

HOSTED BY: Kevin Horne, Chris Buchignani

The NIL Era giveth, and it taketh away. On the veritable eve of the first-ever playoff game in Beaver Stadium, Penn State fans were hit with the double-whammy of two quarterback-related bombshells. While public confirmation of Drew Allar's long-rumored return for next season has fans and portal wideouts alike buzzing with excitement for 2025, that enthusiasm is tempered by the resulting departure of Beau Pribula, Allar's backup and a key cog in Andy Kotelnicki's offensive Rube Goldberg machine. What are Penn Staters adrift in the choppy seas of college football's anarchist phase to make of the hero of the Wisconsin game taking a pass on postseason glory in his pursuit of greener pastures? The guys risk cancellation by trying to explore a complicated issue with honesty and humor.

HOSTED BY: Brandon Noble, Kevin Horne, Chris Buchignani

The Obligatory Cinematic Universe expands with a blockbuster crossover event as the gang gets back in the podcasting saddle. Noble, Kevin, and Chris team up with Steve Garguilo and Tim Buckley of the Let's Talk Penn State Podcast (like The Avengers, but with idiots). Enjoy this "meeting of the minds" and perspective on the state of the program heading into the Maryland game. The regular gang returns next week to sum up a memorable season for the Nittany Lions heading into the postseason.

Enjoy the lighter side of every Penn State season with the guys at Let's Talk Penn State: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-penn-state/id1305484061

HOSTED BY: Brandon Noble, Kevin Horne, Chris Buchignani