Podcasts by The Obligatory PSU Podcast

FALL '23 Episode 10: More Like "Episode 10-2," Amirite? from 2023-11-29T21:11:51

Penn State wrapped up another 10-2 regular season that was, yes, in some respects a failure - a failure to achieve the lofty goals that were set justifiably high at the season's outset - but als...

FALL '23 Episode 9: Big Blues from 2023-11-15T22:03:24

What more can you say? We try to come up with something. The guys wrap up the Michigan win over Penn State that slammed on the door on the Nittany Lions' hopes for making the four-team playoff b...

FALL '23 Episode 8: [Connor Stalions Stole The Title] from 2023-11-08T22:30:21

For the second time in four weeks, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are facing one of the biggest games in recent program history. This time, they will play in the welcoming environs of Beav...

FALL '23 Episode 7: Indiana Escape from 2023-11-01T21:38:31

Penn State narrowly escapes what would have been a devastating loss to a terrible Indiana Hoosiers team and instead travels to College Park to face nose-diving Maryland with a hint of momentum f...

FALL '23 Episode 6: Same S**t, Different Year from 2023-10-25T21:33:48

Another meeting of top tens for the Nittany Lions. Another matchup with the Buckeyes. Another trip to the Horseshoe. And yet another predictably miserable result. For nine months, we built this ...

FALL '23 Episode 5: Ohio State Vibes, "There is no 'try'" from 2023-10-18T20:59:05

A fair reading of James Franklin's decade-long tenure at Penn State is that the entire thing has led up to this Saturday's game in Columbus, a meeting of undefeated national powers pitting the #...

FALL '23 Episode 4: UMass Hysteria from 2023-10-11T20:51:42

Penn State made the rounds of all the national college football news outlets this week and even managed to rile up the famously even-tempered denizens of Twitter, all without even playing a game...

FALL '23 Episode 3: Hello, Good Bye Week from 2023-10-04T21:48:28

Your Penn State Nittany Lions roll into the Bye week 5-0 and ranked #6 in the nation, featuring a dominant defense and an offense that, despite averaging over 40 points per game, plays with madd...

FALL '23 Episode 2: We're Goin' Streaking from 2023-09-27T22:19:31

One, on its own, is an isolated incident. Two in a row is the start of a streak. So this podcast is going streaking. The guys are back this week to revel in the misfortune of the Iowa Hawkeyes, ...

FALL '23 Episode 1: Like Riding a Bike from 2023-09-20T23:12:43

A few minor issues. A couple of miscues. Several handfuls of chocolate chips, and all the Utz chips you can eat for the next 32 years. The full cast reassembles to start playing themselves into ...

FALL '22 Episode 1: We're Back. Is Penn State? from 2022-09-16T10:57:40

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, or brain-eating zombies rising from the dead, or Notre Dame football underperforming unearned lofty expectations - the Obligatory podcast is back, and wit...

Wrapping Up Blue-White: Obligatory Keystone Crossover from 2022-04-28T10:21:59

The format wasn't exactly a game, but if you traveled to Happy Valley or tuned to the Big Ten Network for exciting football action, your cause was already long since lost. Town and camp...

Blue-White Weekend: Obligatory Keystone Crossover from 2022-04-20T13:29:03

The first "normal" Blue-White Weekend in nearly three years is nearly upon us, so Chris and Jim ruminate on the appeal of the overall event weekend, the scrimmage itself, and whatever possible n...

Favorite Penn State Players: Obligatory Keystone Crossover from 2022-04-13T09:21:54

Every sports fan forms lasting connections with certain players on their favorite teams, whether because of skill, toughness, personality, or all three. Sometimes it's an unforgettable performan...

Best Beaver Stadium Moments: Obligatory Keystone Crossover from 2022-04-05T21:55:01

What is your favorite memory of Penn State football? Practically every fan of the Nittany Lions has at least one play, moment, or game from which they can recall almost every detail - what happe...

Is Penn State Losing at NIL?: Obligatory Keystone Crossover from 2022-03-30T12:46:38

Astronomical payouts to star recruits, entire position groups, and even full recruiting classes have headlined the first year of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) monetization in college sports. P...

Sandy Barbour Special: Obligatory Keystone Crossover from 2022-03-17T12:02:44

With Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour announcing her retirement plans, the search is on for the next person to lead State's athletics programs at a crucial j...

The Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 19 from 2022-01-28T09:12:01

In a very short time, the transfer portal has become the talk of the college football world, with the sport's de facto free agent market emerging as a key element in modern roster-building. Now ...

The Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 16 from 2021-12-23T13:38:28

While starting quarterback Sean Clifford's decision to return and play one final season for the Nittany Lions may have divided Penn State's online fan base, KSN's Jim Galanti harbors no reservat...

The Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 14 from 2021-12-10T09:51:26

All over the college football landscape, loyalties and fortunes (in every sense of the word) are shifting at breakneck speed as head coaches are making bigger moves for bigger money than ever be...

The Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 12 from 2021-11-24T12:31:09

After a brief update on the status of the regular podcast, Chris and Jim take a broader look at the landscape of college football and the mounting challenges to the four-team format of the first...

The Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 10 from 2021-11-10T08:53:38

With all the rumors swirling around James Franklin's future at Penn State and many talking heads insisting that certain jobs are obviously better than others, Jim and Chris take a step back to p...

FALL '21 Episode 17: Ohio State, Maryland&Playoff Rankings from 2021-11-04T10:21:40

Maybe moral victories are the best we can hope for when it comes to Penn State versus Ohio State. As another year passes without a win over the Buckeyes (this time handing OSU its longest winnin...

The Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 8 from 2021-10-28T09:59:50

One relatively routine hit on QB Sean Clifford during the first quarter of the Iowa game produced a dramatic ripple effect on Penn State's 2021 season and, quite possibly, beyond. A dominating o...

FALL '21 Episode 16: Post-Illinois, Pre-Ohio State Mega Show from 2021-10-25T22:34:47

Over four agonizing, rain-soaked quarters and 75 overtime periods only vaguely resembling the sport of football, what had mostly felt like a decidedly-different, and potentially-special, season ...

FALL '21 Episode 15: Penn State, By the Numbers from 2021-10-21T05:15:09

As the Nittany Lions prepare to return to action, Chris and Mailman are joined by Nathan Wilmot, the analytics columnist for For The Blogy, who has develop...

FALL '21 Episode 14: Will Nittany Lions Become Penn State Employees? from 2021-10-19T20:30:06

Even as the Nittany Lions chase another Big Ten title, fighting to defend a Top 10 ranking while battling the injury bug, it wouldn't be a season of the podcast without a couple of #Obligatory d...

The Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 6 from 2021-10-12T23:37

Hair metal rockers Cinderella perhaps put it best with their 1988 hit: "Don't Know What You Got (Til It's Gone)." Sean Clifford was shre...

FALL '21 Episode 13: Post-Iowa Therapy from 2021-10-10T22:56:25

A game that began with the promise and excitement of a top 5 matchup for your Penn State Nittany Lions rapidly devolved into a frustrating and dispiriting war of attrition that ended, as nearly ...

FALL '21 Episode 12: Penn State at Iowa from 2021-10-07T20:49:42

Wrapping a week's worth of Penn State football news into one whirlwind podcast, our full cast of characters share one long, lingering glance back at the Stripe Out before closing the book on the...

Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 5 from 2021-10-06T09:26:52

In the midst of an exciting season that has seen the Penn State Nittany Lions rise to fourth in the nation after five weeks and on the eve of their biggest yet against Iowa, Jim and Chris take a...

FALL '21 Episode 11: Indiana at Penn State from 2021-09-30T00:01

No Penn State fan needs to be reminded about what transpired the last time the Nittany Lions faced Indiana's football team. The debacle of sloppy and undisciplined play, uninspired playcalling, ...

Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 4 from 2021-09-29T00:14

Maybe it's time to go back to "Legends" and "Leaders." After years of the scales tipping in favor of the Big Ten's East division, home to college football powerhouses Ohio State, Penn State, and...

FALL '21 Episode 10: So Much for the Afterglow from 2021-09-27T17:26:20

No matter how rosy and promising the big picture may appear, no matter how satisfying and cathartic the experience has been, no matter how well your expectations have been met (and probably exce...

FALL '21 Episode 9: Villanova at Penn State feat. Ben Jones, StateCollege.com from 2021-09-24T01:22:03

With nearly all of Penn State's divisional opponents in the Big Ten East showing substantial improvement early in the 2021 season and a number of difficult road contests still awaiting the Nitta...

Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 3 from 2021-09-22T12:20:55

We have been hearing from James Franklin and many others about the immense talent Penn State has at tight end this season and waiting to see how new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich would put ...

FALL '21 Episode 8: Auburn Afterglow from 2021-09-20T22:47:26

There are but a precious few places where the forces of the college football universe can all align to create a special and resonant moment that touches the lives of thousands of people in hundr...

FALL '21 Episode 7: Auburn at Penn State from 2021-09-15T23:00:45

A big weekend in Happy Valley looms. In under two decades, the Beaver Stadium White Out has cemented its status among the most distinctive traditions of the great American ritual that is college...

Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 2 from 2021-09-14T23:00

When you run the company, you can't get fired. When you're publishing your own podcast, you can't get canceled. And so, the Obligatory Keystone Crossover, an experiment in collaboration (in our ...

FALL '21 Episode 6: Ball Busted from 2021-09-12T22:37:58

After 651 days of barren tailgate fields, empty bleachers, and often-uninspiring football played in eerie silence, Happy Valley's home game drought is over. The crowds and energy that are the li...

FALL '21 Episode 5: Ball State at Penn State from 2021-09-08T22:41:45

Happy Valley is ready for a family reunion. After an impossibly long layover nobody could have foreseen when the 2019 Nittany Lions closed out their home schedule with a win over Rutgers on Seni...

Obligatory Keystone Crossover: Episode 1 from 2021-09-08T14:25:59

Introducing the Obligatory Keystone Crossover, an "alliance" (if you will) between two teams of content creators who share a mutual love for Penn State and the sound of their own voices. As part...

FALL '21 Episode 4: The Joy of 1-0 from 2021-09-06T22:25:01

The wait, long and miserable though it may have been - through global turmoil and an on-again, off-again season that maybe would have been better left staying "off-again" - was worth it. With a ...

FALL '21 Episode 3: Penn State at Wisconsin from 2021-09-01T22:02:08

The long wait - in many respects, far longer than is usual for this time of year - is finally almost over. Penn State travels to Madison, Wisconsin this weekend to take on a Badgers team facing ...

FALL '21 Episode 2: Penn State Roster Breakdown (Defense) from 2021-08-29T23:01

Per Obligatory tradition, one of our most popular features returns: the Penn State football preview in which Chris enlists the assistance of fellow LIO...

FALL '21 Episode 1: Penn State Roster Breakdown (Offense) from 2021-08-27T23:01

Per Obligatory tradition, one of our most popular features returns: the Penn State football preview in which Chris enlists the assistance of fellow LIO...

SUMMER '21 Episode 5: The Real Hiking Viking from 2021-08-26T10:40:17

We wrap up our 2021 Summer semester with this extended conversation with returning guest Tom Gathman, better known to outdoor and adventure enthusiasts across the globe as The Real Hiking Viking...

SUMMER '21 Episode 4: Unlicensed from 2021-07-09T10:30:17

On July 1, 2021, the epoch of college football that began in 1869 with Rutgers and Princeton playing a bizarre combination of soccer and rugby came to a close, and a whole new era began. That mi...

SUMMER '21 Episode 3: College Football Playoff Expansion Pt. 2 from 2021-06-28T22:35:06

Once upon a time, Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions were the new kid on the college football block, struggling to earn respect among the established titans of the sport while battling entre...

SUMMER '21 Episode 2: SCOTUS stiff arms the NCAA from 2021-06-21T23:00:30

When is losing 9-0 more embarrassing than losing 6-4? When you're the governing body of one of the nation's most venerable and popular sports leagues and you're handed a unanimous legal shellack...

SUMMER '21 Episode 1: College Football Playoff Expansion Pt. 1 from 2021-06-14T22:15:15

Few teams have been more consistently cheated of the chance to prove their worthiness as title contenders on the field than the Penn State Nittany Lions. Joe Paterno famously coached four teams ...

SPRING '21 Episode 24: Two White Outs Twice As Nice? from 2021-05-24T21:53:59

With the announcement that Penn State's highly-anticipated non-conference matchup with Auburn will kick off under the lights at Beaver Stadium, anticipation is high that the marquee matchup will...

SPRING '21 Episode 23: Penn State Letterman Lydell Sargeant from 2021-05-13T22:32:25

The guys interview Penn State Football Letterman Lydell Sargeant, a Pittsburgh native who committed to PSU as part of Joe Paterno's legendary 2005 recruiting class, the only class in school hist...

SPRING '21 Episode 22: The Award Winner&The Hiking Viking from 2021-05-10T21:56:36

Listen to guest Miriam Colvin's award-winning podcast: https://soundcloud.com/miriam-colvin/competition-with-the-best...

SPRING '21 Episode 21: Penn State NFL Draft Wrap-up w/ Sheil Kapadia from 2021-05-03T22:02:18

Six Penn State Nittany Lions were taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, with linebacker Micah Parsons and edge rusher Odafe (Jayson) Oweh going in the first round. Tight end Pat Freiermuth headed to Pitt...

SPRING '21 Episode 20: Penn State in the NFL Draft w/ ESPN's Matt Bowen from 2021-04-28T11:12:29

Which Nittany Lions will hear their names called (and when) in the 2021 NFL Draft? ESPN pro football analyst Matt Bowen joins the show to evaluate P...

SPRING '21 Episode 19: Blue-White Redux Review from 2021-04-26T21:32:42

Why have one real Blue-White Weekend when you can hold two fake ones instead? Well, for plenty of reasons, of course, but after the last 12 months, you take whatever you can get. After holding a...

SPRING '21 Episode 18: Penn State alum Rob Lawless (Rob's 10k Friends) from 2021-04-22T22:25:53

After graduating from Penn State in 2013 with a degree in Finance, Rob Lawless began work at the global consulting firm Deloitte, later moving on to start-up venture RJ Metrics. When that compan...

SPRING '21 Episode 17: Penn State Scrimmage Summary w/ Nubyjas Wilborn from 2021-04-19T22:40:08

Only freshmen and reporters were allowed inside Beaver Stadium for what turned out to be the first of two Fake Blue-White Saturdays (with the next to follow a week later for seniors), so the guy...

SPRING '21 Episode 16: Penn State Spring Roster Review from 2021-04-15T23:24:26

Fake Blue-White Saturday is upon us, so why not mark the occasion by squeezing the last droplets of #content from a traditionally substance-free weekend that this year is a literal non-event? Gr...

SPRING '21 Episode 15: Penn State Spring Football Stories #2 from 2021-04-12T22:25:19

More feeding the #content-starved beast with morsels of news and insight plumbed from the depths of Penn State Spring Football coach and player interviews. Former Nittany Lions offensive lineman...

SPRING '21 Episode 14: Penn State Spring Football Stories #1 from 2021-04-08T23:14:24

Spring football is back in Happy Valley for the first time in nearly two years, and for a program that struggled mightily through 2020 without the benefit of offseason practices, its return has ...

SPRING '21 Episode 13: The NCAA on Trial from 2021-04-02T07:58:20

What a mess. For many years now (and several decades prior, really), the NCAA and its member schools have been losing ground in their seemingly-hopeless battle to preserve the concept of "amateu...

SPRING '21 Episode 12: Penn State Reporter Mark Wogenrich, SI.com from 2021-03-30T09:21:02

SI.com's Penn State reporter Mark Wogenrich returns to the show to talk about the transition from the bad, fake season of 2020 to the critical offseason and Spring practices of 2021. After shari...

SPRING '21 Episode 11: Jeff "Ironhead" Byers, Voice of Penn State Wrestling from 2021-03-23T11:09:11

Despite falling just shy of the overall team championship at the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Tournament, Penn State's second-place finish included a spectacular four-for-four title match performance on ...

SPRING '21 Episode 10: David Eckert of Blue White Illustrated (Penn State Hockey, Hoops+) from 2021-03-19T01:00

Blue White Illustrated's resident jack of all trades David Eckert visits the show to talk about the present and future for Penn State's men's basketball and...

SPRING '21 Episode 9: Penn State Letterman Brandon Noble (Part 2) from 2021-03-16T07:44:57

Brandon continues recounting his football journey, this time focusing on his two seasons as a full-time starter for Penn State. These years spanned a "disappointing" encore to the 1994 Big Ten t...

SPRING '21 Episode 8: Penn State Letterman Brandon Noble (Part 1 Redux) from 2021-03-11T23:16:28

Re-releasing Part One of our interview with Obligatory co-host Brandon Noble (originally published in August 2019) in advance of the...

SPRING '21 Episode 7: Penn State's Promising Winter from 2021-03-09T08:54:39

Although adversity of all kinds plagued the Nittany Lions last season on their way to a historic 0-5 start, hope is on the horizon and help is on the way. From a recent commitment from blue chip...

SPRING '21 Episode 6: Facilities Follies from 2021-03-03T08:58:46

Water slides and flight simulators for all. Penn State's plan to spend millions on renovations and upgrades to the Lasch football building created a stir when Jay Paterno spoke out against it wh...

SPRING '21 Episode 5: Penn State's 2020 Good&Bad, Part 2 from 2021-02-04T11:54:01

If nothing else, the wild fake season of 2020 was history-making for the Penn State Nittany Lions, in ways both awful (0-5) and terrific (900 wins). From a wealth of young talent showing out at ...

SPRING '21 Episode 4: Penn State's 2020 Good&Bad, Part 1 from 2021-01-29T11:28:39

2020 was a year like none other for all of us, so it only makes sense that it was historic in all the wrong ways for James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Before finally turning the p...

SPRING '21 Episode 3: Penn State Offense Past&Future w/ For The Blogy from 2021-01-20T11:35:29

The guys welcome in Coach Nick Codutti of ForTheBlogy.com to talk about the past and future of Penn State's ...

SPRING '21 Episode 2: Penn State Hires OC Mike Yurcich from 2021-01-08T21:16:26

In a genuinely shocking power move, James Franklin relieved first-year offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca of his duties as Penn State's offensive coordinator to bring in newly-available supers...

SPRING '21 Episode 1: Penn State Portal Plunder from 2021-01-05T22:08:18

And we're back. After enjoying some time off for the holidays (just like Penn State), the guys return to wrap up the 2020 bowl season and dig into the surprising amount of early roster news for ...

FALL '20 Episode 33: State College isn't "Bowls-burg" from 2020-12-21T08:12:05

So that's that. You can close the book on Penn State's 2020 fake season. Unlike many teams across the country and most of their Big Ten peers, the Nittany Lions managed to play all of their sche...

FALL '20 Episode 32: Recruiting, Illinois&the Big Ten are Dumb from 2020-12-16T22:42:30

The snow is falling in Happy Valley for early National Signing Day. In a year in which the Nittany Lions gave their fans plenty of reasons to worry about the health of the program, is a 28th-ran...

FALL '20 Episode 31: Threeve from 2020-12-14T22:32:44

Is this ostensibly the "Michigan State wrap-up show?" Yes. Does the conversation eventually meander its way back to some discussion of Penn State's 39-24 reclamation project against Sparty that ...

FALL '20 Episode 30: Penn State Going for 901 from 2020-12-09T22:38:42

Well, it has been, as they'd say in days of yore, "a long, strange trip," but we are finally coming down to the last weeks of 2020 and its suitably bizarre fake college football season. How many...

FALL '20 Episode 29: Silent Knights from 2020-12-07T22:24:22

It wasn't always pretty, and in the end, it was, after all, only Rutgers, but dammit, in a season full of misery and disappointment, the "surging" Nittany Lions combined a solid defensive outing...

FALL '20 Episode 28: Must We Discuss Rutgers? from 2020-12-03T04:09

Penn State hits the road for a second straight week in search of a win that will resonate in the moment and for eternity - a badly-needed follow-up to a potentially program-salvaging win last la...

FALL '20 Episode 27: Michigan Man? Handled. from 2020-11-29T22:34:25

In the name of all that is holy and good, rejoice and give thanks! Your Penn State Nittany Lions are no longer winless for this horrendous 2020 campaign, in all its miserable fakery. After diggi...

FALL '20 Episode 26.2: And Michigan Still Sucks from 2020-11-25T21:00

What is our possibly-brilliant nickname and gimmick for this game on Saturday? You'll just have to listen and find out. It's a special holiday-week bonus episode looking ahead to Penn State's me...

FALL '20 Episode 26.1: Nubyjas Wilborn, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from 2020-11-24T22:03:51

In this installment, the guys welcome in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Penn State reporter Nubyjas Wilb...

FALL '20 Episode 25: Historic Futility from 2020-11-21T22:37:18

Welcome to the new normal. We now live in a world where a Penn State football team has begun a season with five consecutive losses, a dubious historic milestone made manifest by the Nittany Lion...

FALL '20 Episode 24: Corn Belted from 2020-11-17T23:23:25

In this special mid-week Corn Belt Omnibus edition of Obligatory, the guys look back on another frustrating Saturday, as the Penn State's trip to Lincoln brought a few signs of life, but ultimat...

FALL '20 Episode 23: Centre Film Festival&Nebraska from 2020-11-12T12:52:56

The Nittany Lions may be reeling at 0-3, but there's always a lot to celebrate here in Happy Valley. The guys take a break from the doom and gloom of football talk to welcome in Pearl Gluck and ...

FALL '20 Episode 22: Embarrassing Garbage from 2020-11-07T22:39:57

Already teetering on the brink of collapse at 0-2, the Penn State Nittany Lions are now fully circling the drain after a tragic 35-19 home loss to the Maryland Terrapins, a raging dumpster fire ...

FALL '20 Episode 21: Talking Penn State w/ Ben Jones of StateCollege.com from 2020-11-06T11:11:06

Ben Jones, Penn State beat reporter for StateCollege.com, joins the guys to talk about the experience of ...

FALL '20 Episode 20: Ohio State Autopsy w/ Donnie Collins, Scranton Times-Tribune from 2020-11-03T07:11:49

In this episode, the guys break down a clash of legendary titans in Happy Valley. But after discussing the Fantasy Flavor League's co...

FALL '20 Episode 19: Ohio State Visits Spooky Valley from 2020-10-29T22:52:32

If Penn State hosts a night game and no fans are there to see it, is it still a White Out? Like everything else on the carnival ride from Hell called 2020, what should be one of the biggest holi...

FALL '20 Episode 18: We Lost to Indiana from 2020-10-26T08:34:48

Well, we asked for Big Ten football in 2020, and we got it. A classic case of "Be careful what you wish for." What can you say about a program with playoff aspirations in self-styled pursuit of ...

FALL '20 Episode 17: Indiana, Indiana (and Pat Chambers) from 2020-10-22T08:15:54

Pat Chambers tosses the Penn State news cycle into appropriate-for-2020 chaos by resigning only days before the long-delayed start of the football season. Undaunted, the guys touch on the breaki...

FALL '20 Episode 16: Penn State Roster Breakdown (Defense) from 2020-10-16T08:33:17

Friend of the show Mike Levine returns, joining Chris to break down the Penn State Nittany Lions defense by position (reuniting the LION 90.7fm's 2000-01 fo...

FALL '20 Episode 15: Penn State Roster Breakdown (Offense) from 2020-10-13T08:04:07

Chris enlists the assistance of friend and fellow LION 90.7fm alum Mike Levine to analyze the 2020 Penn State roster in two installments, beginning with the...

FALL '20 Episode 14: Blur Your Russell Athletics Logo from 2020-10-09T07:58:21

Penn State Athletics has put out the call for fan-generated videos to use inside Beaver Stadium and on social media. Chris is ready to start filming; Mike the Mailman is skeptical, and Kevin is ...

FALL '20 Episode 13: Franklin's Great Hires, O'Brien Fired w/ Chad Washington from 2020-10-06T10:37:49

Week 2 of the Penn State Berkey Creamery's Fantasy Flavor League kicks off with a playoff-worthy matchup of Cookies 'n Cream versus C...

FALL '20 Episode 12: Storylines for Penn State's 2020 from 2020-10-02T08:43:05

It's October. We're getting real, live Penn State football this month! With the season approaching, Chris, Kevin, and Mailman kick around some potential storylines of interest - from the local i...

FALL '20 Episode 11: A College Offense Explosion? from 2020-09-29T09:36:19

It's a grab bag of Penn State and college football topics as we get closer to once again enjoying Nittany Lions football Saturdays. James Franklin and staff continue their aggressive approach on...

FALL '20 Episode 10: Eating Ice Cream&Opting In from 2020-09-25T07:54:19

The guys wrap up the conversation on college football recruiting, preview the Penn State Berkey Creamery's Fantasy Flavor League by d...

FALL '20 Episode 9: Penn State Football Recruiting w/ Ryan Snyder, Blue White Illustrated from 2020-09-22T07:22:26

Like it or not, recruiting is what separates the great from the elite in college football, and no less authoritative a source on Penn State's recruiting than James Franklin himself just called o...

FALL '20 Episode 8: Penn State Football Escapes Limbo from 2020-09-18T07:24:08

It may have taken some time, a lot of confusion, frustration, and a few false starts (and it may not even be a very wise idea!), but Penn State football is coming back, and dammit, we're gonna c...

FALL '20 Episode 7: To Play, Or Not to Play? from 2020-09-15T09:38:52

Does anyone have even the vaguest clue what is happening with Big Ten football in 2020? Doesn't seem like it. Not the cast of The Obligatory PSU Podcast. Not the endless stream of media...

FALL '20 Episode 6: Undrafted Nittany Lion to NFL Vet from 2020-09-11T10:14:52

With the NFL season upon us, the guys follow up on the last show about former Penn State players who survived cuts to make a professional roster by giving Brandon Noble a platform to share his o...

FALL '20 Episode 5: Penn Staters in the NFL feat. Chris Adamski from 2020-09-08T08:37:29

When James Franklin arrived at Penn State, he listed preparing his players for a shot at the NFL among his top goals, and the program has had great success sending alumni to the next level. With...

FALL '20 Episode 4: Penn State Game Day Rituals from 2020-09-04T06:30

After plowing through the festering heap of college football "news" from this week - from unsolicited phone calls from the POTUS to unfounded Twitter rumor-mongering from oddly-named accounts - ...

FALL '20 Episode 3: Why All the Big Ten Secrecy? from 2020-09-01T10:38:20

Thanks to pretrial action for a lawsuit that presumably stands little chance of actually succeeding in court, we can finally confirm that there was, in fact, a vote by university leaders to canc...

FALL '20 Episode 2: Classic Nonsense from 2020-08-28T08:29:14

What better time for a classic Obligatory digression than the pretend start of a non-existent football season? As the gang assembles (like The Avengers, but very different) to begin fil...

FALL '20 Episode 1: Countdown to Remote at Penn State? from 2020-08-25T13:18:11

Place your bets. Mike the Mailman sets the official Obligatory over/under on weeks until Penn State becomes the latest to make the move to remote learning. With students returning to Ha...

SUMMER '20 Episode 16: College Sports Chaos w/ Dr. R. Scott Kretchmar from 2020-08-21T11:03:22

Some technical issues held up release of this latest episode, recorded literally as the first news of the Big Ten season's cancellation reached the public. The late-breaking news fit perfectly, ...

SUMMER '20 Episode 15: Fake Schedules&No Fans feat. Thomas Frank Carr from 2020-08-07T15:17:33

The first week of August brought more Penn State and college football news than we've had in like three months - from the release of the Nittany Lions' 2020 schedule to the announcement that the...

SUMMER '20 Episode 14: A Ticket to Ride from 2020-08-04T09:54:54

Enough of these wide-ranging conversations with interesting guests; time to get back to the basics of Obligatory. With Brandon Noble off for the day, Mailman, Kevin, and Chris get the stage to t...

SUMMER '20 Episode 13: Mark Wogenrich, Sports Illustrated from 2020-07-31T09:56:44

Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn Sate football since 1999, as the long-time Nittany Lions beat reporter for The Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and most recently for Listen

SUMMER '20 Episode 12: Let's Talk Penn State from 2020-07-21T10:11:22

It's never a bad time to welcome in the hosts of our sister podcast "Let's Talk Penn State." Steve Garguilo and Tim Buckley join the show to talk about the process of producing a Penn State-cent...

SUMMER '20 Episode 11: Chad Washington, PSUHouston.org from 2020-07-17T11:15:08

A Texas native, Chad Washington picked Penn State site unseen after meeting a campus recruiter. After arriving in Happy Valley, he experienced snow, wrote for the Daily Collegian, and like so ma...

SUMMER '20 Episode 10: College Players Retro #1 from 2020-07-14T11:20:38

With decades of passionate Penn State fandom and, in the case of Brandon Noble, five years wearing the Blue and White followed by a decade in the pros, the guys have witnessed a lot of incredibl...

SUMMER '20 Episode 9: "Sunshine" Shane McGregor from 2020-07-10T09:12:10

Shining a ray of Sunshine into dark times. Shane McGregor, who is easily Happy Valley's most recognizable and beloved scout team quarterback, thoughtfully reflects on his five-year (2008-12) jou...

SUMMER '20 Episode 8: Extra Points with Matt Brown from 2020-07-07T11:00

College football author and journalist Matt Brown (not to be confused with State College's own college football author and journalist Listen

SUMMER '20 Episode 7: Decoding Sandy Barbour from 2020-07-03T08:30

In this extended holiday weekend episode, the Obligatory crew welcomes back Chris "Buzzsaw" Adamski of TribLive.com to break down and analyze the caref...

SUMMER '20 Episode 6: Penn State Alumni Assoc. CEO Paul Clifford from 2020-06-30T11:00

In 2020, the Penn State Alumni Association - the largest dues-paying college alumni association in t...

SUMMER '20 Episode 5: Happy Valley Retro #1 from 2020-06-24T12:00

In the best of times, a nostalgic walk back down State College's version of memory lane is an enjoyable distraction. These days, after months of quarantine and social distancing and with the com...

SUMMER '20 Episode 4: Good Coach, Bad Losses from 2020-06-19T14:30

Who knows what the Beaver Stadium attendance policy will look like come this Fall? As the cast's optimism levels about ticket availability continue to seesaw from week to week (hour to hour?), B...

SUMMER '20 Episode 3: Why Prepare? from 2020-06-16T09:30

Plans. Everybody has them, as Mike Tyson once said, until they start getting punched in the face. Well, "everybody" except maybe Noble, Chris, Kevin, and Mailman. And sometimes plans are overrat...

SUMMER '20 Episode 2: Penn State, The Playoffs&the Agony of "Almost" from 2020-06-12T15:30

There's something to be said for 5 to 15 in the college football rankings as the most miserable, polarizing, and frustrating zone to inhabit in all of sports. Your team is recruiting well, devel...

SUMMER '20 Episode 1: Oasis of Nonsense in the Desert of Awful from 2020-06-04T11:00

Everything is confusing, uncertain, and, for the most part, terrible. In such volatile times, the Obligatory crew retrenches to the one thing for which they are (arguably) qualified, cr...

SPRING '20 Episode 18: Football? Football. from 2020-05-29T10:30

After many weeks of mostly pessimism over the fate of college football in 2020, the dark clouds seems to be quickly parting, and now at least a somewhat normal season seems to be the most likely...

SPRING '20 Episode 17: Booze&Quarantine w/ Kirk French from 2020-05-19T09:00

Always a welcome guest on any Obligatory property, Penn State's resident professor of “Booze and Culture” Dr. Kirk French, who was recentl...

SPRING '20 Episode 16: (Olive) Garden of Earthly Delights from 2020-05-12T11:00

The things we do for breadsticks... In this installment of the podcast, a full episode's worth of the sort of absurdity that could only emerge from our uniquely absurd times, Kevin Horne recount...

SPRING '20 Episode 15: Penn State Memories from 2020-05-08T09:30

The live experience of college football sets it apart from most other sports. There are few other settings where you can experience something as thrilling as the Penn State White Out. With some ...

SPRING '20 Episode 14: Fiesta, Fires&Fritz from 2020-05-05T09:15

For many Penn State fans, one of the highlights of the entire quarantine came last week when NBC Sports replayed the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, Penn State's dramatic upset victory over to Miami to claim ...

SPRING '20 Episode 13: Nonsense&NIL from 2020-05-01T09:20

Before launching our upcoming multi-episode look back at great Penn State football from the past, the guys take a customary spin through all manner of nonsensical, non sequitur distractions and ...

SPRING '20 Episode 12: Penn State&the NFL Draft from 2020-04-21T08:20

In a time when the sports world has been turned completely upside down, the NFL Draft continues on undeterred (even though it will be on Zoom), and several Nittany Lions will look to hear their ...

SPRING '20 Episode 11: PSU Barstool Viceroy Derek Shuman from 2020-04-17T09:05

Derek Shuman is a Penn State senior who has been the viceroy (i.e. Editor-in-Chief) of Penn State Barstool for most of his college career, a time pe...

SPRING '20 Episode 10: "Penn State fans are average"&Other Heresies from 2020-04-14T08:45

What better time to stir the pot than during a global quarantine? With all four of the Obligatory cast back together again, the guys take on some sacred accepted "truths" of the Penn State commu...

SPRING '20 Episode 9: Is Bill O'Brien Hurting His Reputation? from 2020-04-10T09:55

Time spent alone with your thoughts (and without any sports) during quarantine affords the opportunity to ponder the answers to life's big questions. In this episode, the guys (minus Mailman) ta...

SPRING '20 Episode 8: TribLive's Chris "Buzzsaw" Adamski from 2020-04-07T09:00

Perhaps no two-year span in the history of Penn State football held a greater combination of good, bad, unforgettable, regrettable, remarkable, and confusing than 2013-2014. This time period saw...

SPRING '20 Episode 7: Postcards from the Edge from 2020-04-03T10:15

Another week spent sheltering at home, and we can happily report that Mike the Mailman is safe and sound. In this episode, the gang fields Twitter questions from the audience (keeping fully on-b...

SPRING '20 Episode 6: Quarantine Blues from 2020-03-27T11:45

Nobody wants to be the one who infected Mike the Mailman with coronavirus, so social distancing it is. For the first time in a long time, the full cast of The Obligatory PSU Pregame Show gets to...

SPRING '20 Episode 5: THON Mail Call&More from 2020-02-21T08:05

Way back in 1989, Penn State students first invited an increasingly-recognizable campus postal worker to deliver mail to the dancers at the annual Dance Marathon (held in the White Building). Ov...

SPRING '20 Episode 4: Unsolved Murders at Penn State from 2020-02-14T11:15

Most Penn Staters have heard of the unsolved murder in the Pattee Library stacks, but few know the whole story. This week, the guys sit down with true crime author Derek J. Sherwood to discuss h...

SPRING '20 Episode 3: Ben Jones of StateCollege.com from 2020-02-01T21:15

Ben Jones is a Happy Valley native who launched onto the scene as an on-the-ground student reporter during the early days of the Sandusky scandal and has spent nearly a decade covering Penn Stat...

SPRING '20 Episode 2: Penn State Hoops&Hockey w/ David Eckert of BWI from 2020-01-22T08:50

The new year is bringing what may be one of best Winter/Spring sports seasons for Penn State in many years; the men's ice hockey team is ranked in the top 10 and poised for a postseason run at t...

SPRING '20 Episode 1: 2019 Nittany Lions in Review from 2020-01-14T09:30

Back again, and still better than nothing. #Obligatory kicks off its 2020 podcasting season with a look back at 2019.

Penn State entered the season on the heels of an underwhelming 2018 s...

FALL '19 Episode 13: Bowling for Roses (or Orange Cotton) from 2019-12-05T10:00

Penn State's path to Pasadena still looks open after the final week of the regular season, but did a decidedly lackluster showing at home versus lowly Rutgers imperils the Lions' New Years Six c...

FALL '19 Episode 12: Moral Victory Formation from 2019-11-25T13:50

The Nittany Lions traveled to Columbus and, as the script called for, left in defeat. The manner in which they were defeated however - by a comparatively narrow margin (the 21-point underdogs lo...

FALL '19 Episode 11: Social Media is Worse than Ohio State from 2019-11-20T00:30

Over the last several years, Penn State and Ohio State have played in some of the most entertaining and memorable games in all of college football, and now the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are set...

FALL '19 Episode 10: Gopher Broke from 2019-11-12T12:10

Twenty years ago, the undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions, anchored by a stifling defense and led by a generational linebacker wearing number 11, had their eyes set on Big Ten and national champ...

FALL '19 Episode 9: On Number Four and Franklin's Future from 2019-11-08T11:25

Fresh off witnessing Penn State men's basketball's successful season opening victory (and 31.5-point cover) versus the Maryland College of Interior Design (or something), Chris Buchignani and Ke...

FALL '19 Episode 8: "Iron Lions" Exec Producer Bob Morgan from 2019-11-01T12:25

In the Fall of 2012, dark shadows loomed long over the Nittany Valley - pain, anger, confusion, uncertainty - and in the midst of this unprecedented turmoil, first-time head coach Bill O'Brien a...

FALL '19 Episode 7: Sparty Vanquished from 2019-10-28T10:45

The Michigan State Spartans have enjoyed unprecedented success against Penn State in recent years, finding new and awful ways to torture James Franklin's team and its fans, so much so that Chris...

FALL '19 Episode 6: The Agony of Victory from 2019-10-22T10:15

The Michigan Wolverines, a team that has tormented Penn State throughout much of its Big Ten-ure (sorry), rolled into Happy Valley for a prime time White Out game highlighted by ESPN College Gam...

FALL '19 Episode 5: The Pitt Rivalry Bites the Dust from 2019-09-10T16:00

Or, The Early Offensive Lamentations of 2019

What to take from Penn State's 45-13 victory over the Buffalo Bulls? While the final score may look like a standard, e...

FALL '19 Episode 4: Keith "Goon" Conlin&the 1994 Nittany Lions from 2019-09-06T10:30

Or, The best PG stories of college football's greatest offense

The Penn State-Buffalo game marks the University's official celebration of the 1994 undefeated Big T...

FALL '19 Episode 3: Parking, Idaho&Gambling from 2019-09-02T14:00

Or, Mike the  Mailman's Insider Info - Only $2.95/minute!

You can only learn so much from a football game where the final score is 79-7, but Kevin, Chris, and Mike...

FALL '19 Episode 2: The Matt McGloin Interview from 2019-08-30T12:00

Or, Not the #Moxie We Need, But the #Moxie We Deserve

Matt McGloin has had one of the most interesting personal journeys in Penn State (if not all of college football) his...

FALL '19 Episode 1: Penn State Football Roster Breakdown from 2019-08-26T15:00

Or, That Time Chris Took Over and Talked Nothing But Football

Forced by scheduling issues - and/or pulling rank to hi-jack the #content - to work without Brandon, Mailman...

SUMMER ’19 Episode 5: Booze&Culture w/ Kirk French from 2019-08-15T13:58:33

Or, The Class You Wish You’d Taken at Penn State

How to get modern college students interested in learning about anthropology? For Dr. Kirk French, the answer revealed...

SUMMER ’19 Episode 4: Mauti, Zordich&the Iron Lions from 2019-07-03T21:44:56

Or, Heart & Soul of the Greatest 8-4 Season Ever Played From the moment two Penn State legacies Listen

SUMMER ’19 Episode 3: The Brandon Noble Interview, Part 1 from 2019-06-19T23:44:21

Or, How to Avoid Being Switched from D-Lineman to Center

The guys try a bit of role reversal this week, giving Brandon a chance to be the “guest” and talk about the jou...

SUMMER ’19 Episode 2: PSU Hockey Alum David Goodwin from 2019-06-13T07:16:23

Or, How to Ruin #CawlidgeHawkey in Four Short Years When our guest this week, David Goodwin, was being recruited, the Pegula Ice Arena hadn’t even broken ground; by the time h...

SUMMER ’19 Episode 1: Fleming’s Flight feat. Frank Bodani from 2019-06-05T23:15:31

Or, “Gritty” — Not Just a Creepy/Lovable Mascot

A long and bitter recruiting fight ultimately went against the Nittany Lions when 5-star “can’t miss” (JINX!) 2020 wide r...

SPRING ’19 Episode 4: Never Graduate from 2019-05-09T00:18:11

Or, The 2 Return Trips All Penn State Alumni Should Make

The whole gang is finally back together, and in classic Obligatory fashion, the conversation quickly skews int...

SPRING ’19 Episode 3: After the Draft from 2019-05-04T08:53:10

Or, Kevin’s Antebellum Adventure

The Nittany Lions had a very respectable six players selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, with fan favorite Trace McSorley coming off the bo...

SPRING ’19 Episode 2.1: Very Dark&Full of Spoilers from 2019-04-29T22:53:13

Or, Let’s Talk Game of Thrones

SPOILER ALERT!!!

We are super serial, you guys. MAJOR SPOILERS for Game of Thrones up to and including Se...