Penn State enters 2026 with respectable numbers and plenty of room to beat them.
ESPN’s SP+ has the Nittany Lions 17th overall, sixth in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, USC and Michigan. The breakdown is solid but not flashy: 14th on offense, 23rd on defense and sixth in special teams. Other ESPN projections are similarly measured, with a 9.0-3.2 expected record, a 22 percent shot at the College Football Playoff, a 4.5 percent chance to win the Big Ten and a 0.8 percent chance to win the national championship.
That’s the baseline. The case for Penn State going beyond it starts with Rocco Becht.
A healthy Becht is the most important player on the roster by far, but the Nittany Lions need more than two good shoulders from him. They need the version of Becht who threw for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2024 while leading Iowa State to the Big 12 championship game.
They need the quarterback who dragged Iowa State through comeback wins, including the rally to stay unbeaten against UCF. As Campbell put it, “I always say nobody's had more game-winning touchdown drives on the last drive of a game than what Rocco Becht has in college football,” Campbell said.
That matters because Penn State is going to face some tight ones this season, and Becht is the guy best built to handle them.
The easy label is that this roster is just Iowa State 2.0 because 24 former Cyclones are now in the mix. But that undersells the pieces Penn State already has in place from the 2025 team, especially the young players who could take a real jump.
Cornerbacks Daryus Dixson and Jahmir Joseph, offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, receiver Koby Howard, and defensive ends Yvan Kemajou and Max Granville are all names to watch. If even one of them turns into a star, Penn State’s 2026 ceiling changes fast.
Howard is the most intriguing of that group on offense. Penn State doesn’t have a clear-cut star receiver, and that could be the difference between a playoff run and a 7-5 letdown.
Still, the Nittany Lions may not need a true headliner so much as a dependable target in the biggest moments. Chase Sowell, a fifth-year senior on his fourth team, could be that guy.
Tight end Ben Brahmer has 50-catch potential. But Howard has the tools to become something bigger.
He’s a sophomore with speed, quickness, strong hands and the ability to work the middle of the field. He also started to show it late in 2025, catching seven passes for 133 yards in nine games while becoming a trusted option for former quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
Terry Smith also pushed to get Howard more involved in the second half of his time as interim head coach. Howard says he’s ready for more.
“I always felt like I was ready last season,” Howard said. “I’m even more ready this year.”
Defensively, Penn State has the kind of back-end talent that can make life miserable for opponents. Dixson has lockdown traits.
Tony Rojas brings elite speed and skill at linebacker. Marcus Neal Jr. gives the secondary a steady, complete presence.
The concern is up front, where the defensive line will decide how far this group can go.
The edge depth is thin, and the tackles are mostly unproven. If that front is merely average, the rest of the defense has a chance to be dominant.
If it’s shaky, everything behind it gets stressed. D’Anton Lynn can only cover so much if the line can’t hold up.
Kemajou and Granville have the upside to become impact edge players, while Armstrong Nnodim has the highest ceiling on the defensive line. The question is whether it all clicks.
The schedule gives Penn State a path. James Franklin had a three-year stretch before the 2025 meltdown in which his team never lost a regular-season game as the favorite.
From 2022 through the 2025 non-conference schedule, Penn State won 34 straight games as the favorite. Campbell now has a chance to do the same with this slate.
Penn State should be favored in eight games. Michigan and Washington look like likely underdog spots.
The remaining two games, at home against USC and Minnesota, are still listed as TBA. It’s a schedule the Nittany Lions can work with, as long as they handle the games they’re supposed to win.
In Other News...
Penn State Already Has 5 Players Facing Transfer Pressure Under Matt Campbell
Penn States roster churn did not stop with the coaching change from James Franklin to Matt Campbell, and the 2026 depth chart already has the look of a team still sorting out who fits where. The portal activity that followed the switch reshaped the roster quickly, but with fall camp still ahead and another transfer window to come, there is plenty of room for more movement before this thing settles.
A few players are already in uncomfortable spots because of depth-chart positioning, eligibility and the new staffs preferences, and that is where the pressure starts to build. Some are fighting for a path that may not be there much longer, while others are trying to convince Campbells staff they belong in the long-term plan. Even with the roster technically set for 2026, this feels more like a pause than a finish. [Read more 🡒]
The White Out Became Penn State Lore In One Defining Night
The White Out has long since become one of college footballs great stagecraft moments, but its roots were far more practical than mythic. Penn States all-white crowd experiment began in 2004, when the athletic department asked students to dress the same for back-to-back home games, and Beaver Stadium quickly learned what a sea of white could do to an opponents composure. By the time the tradition was formally established, it already felt like something bigger than a theme night, a home-field edge built as much on noise and energy as on color.
Penn State has kept feeding that legend ever since, with the White Out now a fixture that draws national attention and routinely turns into one of the most anticipated nights on the schedule. The Nittany Lions have won plenty of those games along the way, including a College Football Playoff victory in the 2024-25 season, and the event has only grown in stature as the crowds have swelled. The question now is not whether the White Out matters in Happy Valley. It is how far this version of the tradition can still go. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Adds Iowa State Tight End To A Room That Matters
Penn States tight end room got a little more interesting for 2026 with the addition of Cooper Alexander, a redshirt sophomore from Washington, Oklahoma, who arrives after two seasons at Iowa State. He spent 2025 as a steady part of the Cyclones offense, appearing in 11 games and contributing as both a pass catcher and a blocker, the kind of all-around profile that tends to matter in Penn States offensive structure.
Alexander caught five passes for 47 yards last season, but the bigger point for Penn State is how he was used, not just what showed up in the box score. His size and experience line up with what coordinator Taylor Mouser wants from the position, and that gives Alexander a legitimate opening to work his way into the rotation if he can translate that Iowa State role to a new setting. [Read more 🡒]