Penn State’s Big Ten opener against Wisconsin now has a date with Peacock.
The Nittany Lions will host the Badgers on Sept. 26 at Beaver Stadium with a 5 p.m. ET kickoff, and the game will stream exclusively on Peacock rather than airing on TV or cable. The Big Ten announced the Week 4 schedule Monday, with Penn State and Wisconsin among the newly set matchups.
Homecoming weekend will be part of the buildup in State College. The annual parade will roll through town on the Friday before the game, and this year’s grand marshals are Kevin and Jess Kelly.
Kevin Kelly played kicker at Penn State, while Jess Kelly graduated from the school with two degrees in 2009. Penn State associate head coach Terry Smith will also serve as the honorary grand marshal.
Before the Badgers arrive, Penn State will wrap up its non-conference slate Saturday against Buffalo. That game is set for noon ET at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State enters that matchup at 2-0 and has outscored its first two opponents 72-9. The lone touchdown allowed came in the final two minutes against Temple, but coach Matt Campbell said the performance still had its rough patches, especially in the first half. Penn State failed to score on two red-zone possessions in the first quarter and led only 10-3 at halftime.
“I don’t think there’s any explanation other than we didn’t play very well,” Campbell said after Saturday's game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. “We didn’t play very well in the first half or the first quarter of the game offensively.
I think you go back and you look at those three runs down in the red zone like they’re all there. The first one, it’s a bad run.
The second one we get beat on the inside, and then the third one we get beat at right guard.
“We’re off by an inch, but it’s a game of inches. And especially when you play on the road, you have to have great execution.
We didn’t do it. And then defensively, we give up two 40-yard plays because of lack of detail.
Where does that start? I think it has to start as the head football coach.
“Then it goes to our coaches, and then our players, and accountability. We were off, and so I felt like we really gained some opportunity to grow in the second and third quarter.
I didn’t think we wavered or flinch. I give a lot of credit to our players.
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Penn State has appeared in one Peacock game in each of the past three seasons, including the 2024 White Out against Washington. The Nittany Lions are 2-1 in those games, with the loss coming against Iowa in 2025.
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Buffalo Coach Sees One Clear Problem With Facing Penn State
Pete Lembo had plenty to say about what Buffalo is walking into at Beaver Stadium, and his breakdown came with the kind of specificity that usually comes only after a coach has spent real time studying an opponent. The Buffalo head coach pointed to Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas, a player he once recruited at South Carolina, and also singled out middle linebacker Kooper Ebel as a steady defensive presence. He did not stop there, either, adding praise for quarterback Rocco Becht and special teams coordinator Justin Lustig as he sized up a roster that looks deep enough to challenge almost every phase of the game.
For Penn State, the interesting part is not just that an opponent noticed the obvious talent. It is that Lembo framed the matchup around the parts of the roster that can tilt a game before the box score ever settles in, from defense to special teams to the quarterback spot. When an opposing coach comes away talking in those terms, it usually means he sees only one clean path for his own team, and it is not the easy one. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Spending Reality Just Raised A Bigger Contender Question
Penn States place in the new college football financial order is getting harder to ignore. The Nittany Lions projected 2026 roster budget sits in the $29 million to $32 million range, a number that leaves them 21st nationally and seventh in the Big Ten, well behind the sports biggest spenders such as Ohio State and Oregon. In a league where roster construction has become as much about money as recruiting, that gap is a real part of the conversation around how Penn State keeps pace.
The roster churn only sharpens the issue. Penn State has 62 new players this season, including 40 transfers, and the program has had to navigate the balancing act of holding onto key contributors while adding talent through the portal. Matt Campbell has managed the budget pressures by keeping important pieces in place and bringing in transfers from his previous team, but the broader question remains whether that approach is enough for Penn State to stay in the same competitive tier as the leagues highest rollers. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State May Have Found Its Next Tight End Problem For Defenses
A new tight end presence has already started to change how Penn State can attack defenses. Benjamin Brahmer, the 6-foot-7, 250-pound transfer from Iowa State, has played two games and wasted little time making himself part of the conversation, catching six of nine targets for 87 yards and three touchdowns while flashing the kind of size and versatility that usually creates problems for opposing coverages.
Brahmers value has gone beyond the stat sheet, too. His strong pass-blocking grade and the trust he earned from quarterback Rocco Becht at Iowa State point to a player who can help in multiple phases, and the early signs around his physical development have only added to the intrigue about how high his ceiling might be at tight end. If this is just the start, Penn State may have found a matchup piece defenses will be forced to account for every week. [Read more 🡒]