Penn State football is spending about $30 million on this year’s roster, according to a new Athletic report that ranked every FBS program by an average of several reported budget projections.
That puts the Nittany Lions at No. 22 nationally and No. 7 in the Big Ten.
At the top of the conference - and the country - is Ohio State, which is spending between $49 and $54 million. Oregon sits right behind at No. 2 with a range of $48-$54 million. Those are the only Big Ten teams in the national top 10.
A few more league programs land not far behind. USC checks in at No. 12, spending $37-40 million.
Defending national champion Indiana is next at No. 13 with $36-40 million, and Michigan follows at No. 14 with the same range. Nebraska is the next Big Ten team on the list, at $31-35 million.
Penn State is ahead of two other conference teams in the top 25: Wisconsin at $27-31 million and UCLA at $26-30 million.
The ranking lines up with some of the usual suspects near the top. Ohio State has been the Big Ten’s standard-bearer for most of the millennium, while Oregon won the conference in its first season after joining from the Pac-12 two years ago and reached the College Football Playoff semifinal last season.
USC’s higher spending also fits with its tradition and the LA market. Indiana’s rise is tied to what the report calls the largest living alumni network in America, which includes Mark Cuban. Michigan owns the No. 3 alumni network, behind Penn State’s No. 2, and also paid Bryce Underwood $12 million out of high school.
Nebraska is spending more than Penn State, even though the program hasn’t been elite in a quarter century.
Penn State plays Buffalo on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon on the Big Ten Network.
In Other News...
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 🡒]