If you’re a Penn Stater with wanderlust, look no further than this list for where you should consider going for a road game this season. 

The 2019 football season features five away games for Penn State. Those looking to leave the friendly confines of Happy Valley can choose matchups at Maryland, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State — all Big Ten Conference foes.

So, here’s a list of the best venues to visit in order of worst to best for the year, along with Stubhub ticket prices. 

5. Minnesota (Nov. 9)

Yes, Minnesota is on the upswing under P.J. Fleck, but this series has become lopsided in recent years. 

The teams have met 14 times, and the Nittany Lions lead the series 9-5, and have taken five of the last six meetings, with Minnesota’s win coming in 2013, a 24-10 decision in the midst of the fallout from the Sandusky scandal. 

Even with the uneven series totals, though, the games themselves have mostly remained competitive. Penn State needed overtime to top the Golden Gophers 29-26 in 2016, which was when the teams last met. The 2009 Penn State 20-0 win remains the only game decided by more than two scores since PSU romped to a 44-14 win in 2005. 

Away from the field, there’s plenty enough to do in a city such as Minneapolis, with attractions like the Mall of America and plenty of museums and theatres.

Even still, this is a game Penn State should win by two or more scores, and traveling to Minneapolis will require flying or an extremely long drive. 

Ticket prices range from $70 to $325 for the game. 

4. Maryland (Sept. 7)

The only reason this matchup gets No. 4 instead of No. 5 is because the University of Maryland is within the Washington, D.C. area and features more to do during the weekend away from the game. 

Penn State leads the all-time series against the Terrapins 39-2, and the teams have tied once. 

The Nittany Lions and Terps have met every year since Maryland joined the Big Ten, and Maryland has only cracked into the win column once since then — a 20-19 last-minute victory in State College in 2014. 

Since then, Penn State has blown Maryland away, with last year’s game being a 38-3 PSU victory. The last time Penn State ventured to College Park, the Nittany Lions romped to a 66-3 win.

Even with the non-competitive nature of the series, though, Maryland is worth at least considering because of its proximity to D.C., which is only a short Metro train ride away from campus, along with its relatively close proximity to Annapolis and Baltimore, two other cities worth checking out. 

The drive from Bradford to College Park is just under six hours, making it a manageable day trip the day of the game, since Sept. 7 falls on a Friday.

Tickets range from $37 to $300 for the 8 p.m. matchup.

3. Iowa (Oct. 12)

This is where the football matchups start getting more interesting. 

Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium is widely known as one of the most hostile and rabid venues in the Big Ten Conference. So much so, that the term “Kinnick Voodoo” has been coined in recent years, since Iowa is 4-1 against AP Top 5 opponents at home.

Penn State is 16-12 all-time against the Hawkeyes, and the last two matchups have been exceptionally close. 

The Nittany Lions won 30-24 last year in Happy Valley, and in 2017, were on the verge of losing until a touchdown on the game’s final play to win 21-19 to avoid being the next victim of the Kinnick Voodoo — Iowa’s only home loss to a top five opponent. 

Along with the competitiveness, Penn Staters visiting Iowa City can participate in the “Kinnick Wave,” during which fans at the stadium wave to patients at the Iowa Children’s Hospital, a tradition that started in 2017 and has received praise across the college football landscape.

Away from the gridiron, Iowa City is widely acclaimed as one of the top college towns to visit, with plenty to do. 

Iowa City isn’t an easy trip, though, as PSU fans will either have to endure a nearly 12-hour drive or fly into Des Moines. 

Tickets are going for $84 in the nosebleeds to $2,000 in the club sections of the stadium. 

2. Michigan State (Oct. 26)

The Spartans have been a thorn in the Nittany Lions’ side in recent years, and have won five of the last six games between the two schools, even when Michigan State is considered the underdog. The series, fought between the nation’s two oldest land grant institutions, remains tight, though, with MSU leading 17-15-1. 

MSU has won the last two games, despite Penn State likely being the better team, making this a nice opportunity at revenge for a Penn State team that may be in a transitional phase with the loss of playmakers like quarterback Trace McSorley.

Penn State’s last win in East Lansing came in 2009, when the Nittany Lions won 42-14. Since then, the series has been all Michigan State, except for 2016’s 45-12 Penn State victory in State College. 

East Lansing is also a great college town, and a visit to MSU in late fall will make for excellent views, with campus situated along the banks of the Red Cedar River.

Penn Staters in Bradford can get to East Lansing by car in six and a half hours, or can opt to fly into Detroit.

Ticket prices range from $55 to about $1,000. 

1. Ohio State (Nov. 23)

What more needs to be said? The Penn State-Ohio State rivalry has always been competitive and contentious, and this year should be no different. 

Ohio State leads the all-time series 19-14, and the Buckeyes have taken six of the last seven games and have mostly dominated the series since PSU jumped to a 6-2 series lead in the early 1990s. 

Penn State’s last win over Ohio State was a thrilling 24-21 win in Happy Valley in 2016, secured by a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown by Grant Haley to upset the No. 2 Buckeyes.

The last two meetings have each been decided by one point, with Ohio State winning 39-38 in Columbus in 2017 and 27-26 in State College last year.

With the departure of Urban Meyer at Ohio State, this could prove to be a valuable opportunity for the Nittany Lions to turn their fortunes against the Big Ten East’s best team as of late.

Fans making the trip will only have to drive five hours to reach Columbus, and a visit to the famed Ohio Stadium should be on every college football fan’s bucket list. 

Scoring a ticket will be tough, though. The prices range from $240 to $2,750. 

(Joel Whetzel, a Bradford Era sports reporter, can be contacted at jwhetzel@bradfordera.com)