Penn State’s early stumble in Big Ten play has already spilled beyond the field, and nowhere is that more obvious than around Saturday’s White Out against USC. After losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern dropped the Nittany Lions to 0-2 in the conference and sent ticket prices sliding, students and fans are weighing in on everything from Matt Campbell’s first season to Pat Kraft’s hiring process and the rising cost of getting into Beaver Stadium.
The mood around the program is split, which makes sense for a team sitting at 3-2. Some fans see a transition that needs time to settle. Others look at the first two Big Ten losses and see a team that has not lived up to the standard they’ve come to expect.
Alex Fielding, a Class of 2026 student, said the roster mix itself feels off to him.
“Can't have Iowa State guys on a Big Ten team, right?” Fielding said.
“It's not going to work. The Big Ten's way different.
It's like throwing an ACC school in the SEC.”
Nicholas Pajovich, a fifth-year student studying landscape contracting, said the early-season jolt has hit hard because of what Penn State has been over the last several years.
“We're used to being a perennial team that is competing in the top-10 year in and year out, and so all of a sudden we get slapped in the face,” Pajovich said.
There is also a broader sense that this year was never going to be a simple plug-and-play job for Campbell. The program is balancing players from last year’s roster, transfers from Campbell’s Iowa State team and additions from around the country, all while working through a new apparel partnership and a $700 million stadium renovation that is scheduled to be finished in 2027.
Zach Sherry, a third-year student studying animal science, said he expected a transition period because of Campbell’s background.
“I didn't have expectations that were super high, so (Campbell) coming from the Big 12, there's not much competition over there, to say the least,” Sherry said. “They have a couple good teams, but it's not in-depth as the Big Ten is like Ohio State, Michigan, so I knew that it would take a transition period.”
That patience, though, is not universal. A lot of the frustration over the last week has centered on Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft and the way he handled the coaching search after Franklin was fired.
Sherry said he believes the timing of the hire hurt the roster-building process.
“I'm disappointed in how he went about hiring a coach for Penn State,” Sherry said. “I feel like he took way too long.
It all comes down to recruiting. Campbell didn't have enough time to recruit because Pat Kraft waited so long to hire a coach.”
Fielding pointed to the recruiting fallout as one of the biggest issues, especially with a majority of Franklin’s 2026 class following him to Virginia Tech.
“I think that was going to happen inevitably, but I think losing all the guys in the middle of the season was the worst thing for us,” Fielding said. “We need to keep those guys and all the recruits. If we fire him at the end of the year, we don't lose those recruits, and we have Penn State players instead of Iowa State players.”
After Franklin was dismissed, it took nearly two months before Penn State hired Campbell, a process that featured multiple speculative names before Kraft settled on him. That delay has left some fans openly questioning the athletic department.
Jacob Figuera, a first-year business student, said the whole thing has shaken his confidence.
“He's dropping the ball and as a team we can't be making those mistakes,” Figuera said. “I think it's embarrassing. I'm embarrassed to say I'm a Penn State student when it comes to football.”
Still, not everyone is down on Campbell. Pajovich said fans may be expecting too much too soon and argued that Penn State’s recent run of success has warped the conversation.
“Campbell got himself in very big shoes to fill,” Pajovich said. “As Penn State fans, we had it very good for those for the last decade that we had Franklin, and that success didn't happen immediately. We need to give Campbell time.”
The contrast between Campbell and Franklin has also stood out to students. Dylan Tollini, a third-year photojournalism student, said the difference in presence is noticeable.
“(Campbell’s) definitely the opposite of Franklin,” Tollini said. “Campbell was like nowhere to be seen, and that was nice.”
Brian Silfies, 47, said he thinks the coaching search “misfired,” but still believes Campbell is the right fit. For him, the appeal is tied to the kind of program Penn State has long wanted to be.
“Campbell was a good pick, especially for the old-school Penn State people, the players being good people and stuff like that,” Silfies said. “It's more like the (Joe) Paterno way.”
The White Out price drop has also become part of the conversation, especially for longtime season-ticket holders. Brian Silfies and his father Ronald, 72, have held season tickets for 15 years, and Brian said seeing tickets lose value stings.
“As a season ticket holder, that sucks because then you think about how my ticket was $200 and somebody's buying it for $60,” Silfies said.
Ronald Silfies said the stadium renovation is making matters worse, especially on the west side. He pointed to the Wisconsin game, when the announced attendance was 108,014 but many seats in the new upper west side went unclaimed.
He said older fans are less likely to want those seats because of both the price and the angle.
“They're going to have a hard time filling the west side because of the prices on those tickets,” Ronald said. “The people that have been going here for 50 years can't afford to keep those seats anymore. It's a shame.”
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Penn State's White Out Is Chasing A Beaver Stadium First
Penn States White Out against USC is lining up to be one of those Beaver Stadium nights people talk about for years, and not just because of the matchup. The game has already topped 110,000 tickets distributed, putting it in position to challenge the stadiums single-game attendance mark as renovations continue to reshape the venue and add new premium suites and bleacher seating.
The bigger backdrop is that Beaver Stadiums capacity has crept up this season, giving Penn State a fresh chance to post an attendance number that would stand above the recent records set in 2024 and 2025. If the announced crowd lands where it appears headed, the White Out will not only bring the usual noise and spectacle, it could leave the program with a new benchmark for one of college footballs most iconic settings. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Have Every Right To Debate Whos Letting This Team Down
Penn States loss to No. 19 USC in front of a record crowd at Beaver Stadium only sharpened the questions around a season that keeps slipping further out of reach. The 31-23 defeat came with enough bright spots and enough frustration to fuel plenty of postgame debate, because the Nittany Lions did not look like a team simply undone by one bad break. Some players showed up and made their case, while others struggled through a night when both sides of the ball had issues keeping pace.
The larger concern is the trend line. Penn State is now 0-3 in Big Ten play, and with bowl eligibility suddenly looking uncertain, every weekly evaluation carries more weight than it should this time of year. The offense and defense have each had their share of problems, and after a game like this, the conversation naturally turns from one result to the broader question of who is actually helping this team move forward and who is holding it back. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Record Crowd Saw A Loss Fans Won't Shrug Off
The biggest crowd ever to pack Beaver Stadium got a game with all the drama Penn State could ask for, and not the ending it wanted. USC came in and left with a win after a back-and-forth night that featured multiple lead changes and scoring drives, the kind of heavyweight matchup that had the place buzzing from start to finish.
Penn State had chances, but USC quarterback Jayden Maiava kept delivering, completing 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. For a fan base that showed up in record numbers expecting a memorable night, this was the sort of loss that lingers, not just because of the result, but because it came in a game the Nittany Lions had every reason to believe they could finish. [Read more 🡒]