Penn State’s coaching reset comes with a rare kind of opening, and Greg McElroy thinks the Nittany Lions landed in the perfect spot to take advantage of it.
After parting ways with James Franklin following 12 seasons, Penn State is turning the program over to Matt Campbell, who arrives after a decade at Iowa State. Campbell went 72-55 with the Cyclones and built them into a steady Big 12 threat without ever winning the league.
The timing of the move matters just as much as the hire. Penn State is coming off a frustrating 7-6 season after beginning the year ranked No. 2 in the country and carrying real national title expectations. That disappointment followed a 3-3 start and ended with the administration deciding to move on from Franklin, even after he had delivered a Big Ten championship in 2016 and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance in 2024.
Now the focus shifts to Campbell’s first season, and the schedule is doing him plenty of favors. On ESPN’s “Always College Football” podcast, McElroy pointed to Penn State as having one of the clearest routes to the College Football Playoff in 2026.
"They handed the newest coach in the league the kindest gift on the board," McElroy said. "Penn State's schedule does not include Ohio State.
It does not include Oregon. Does not include Indiana.
It dodges all three of the Big 10's true heavyweights." The two measuring stick games are a trip to Michigan and a home date against SC.
Everything else is very gettable."
That setup leaves Penn State without the three biggest preseason favorites in the conference. If the Nittany Lions take care of the games they should win, the season turns on a tight late-October and early-November stretch that includes a home game against USC and road trips to Michigan and Washington.
Campbell steps into a roster with enough talent to compete right away, and the schedule gives Penn State a real chance to make that happen. If the Nittany Lions miss the playoff picture anyway, there won’t be much room to hide.
A strong first year would make Campbell look like the right man for the job. Anything less would bring the Franklin decision back into focus fast.
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James Franklin Just Reopened A Penn State Wound As Pressure Builds
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James Franklin, meanwhile, has a way of reminding Penn State fans how fresh the break still feels. Now at Virginia Tech, Franklin used his time at ACC Media Days to talk about winning the offseason and to revisit his coaching journey, and even without naming his old stop directly, his comments were enough to reopen a wound in State College. For a program already under a microscope with a new coach trying to win over recruits and calm the noise, Franklins latest turn in the spotlight only adds another layer to the pressure. [Read more 🡒]
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Penn State has moved on to bigger conference priorities, and the old Backyard Brawl-era energy between the schools has not carried over into any modern sense of urgency from the Nittany Lions side. With realignment continuing to reshape college football and the ACC still fighting for respect in the sports hierarchy, Narduzzis comments only sharpened the contrast between what Pitt wants the rivalry to be and what Penn State seems to need from it now. [Read more 🡒]
Why Penn State Star Mitchell Mesenbrink Stepped Away After Another Title
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In an interview, Mesenbrink said the decision came after he realized he needed time away to deal with emotional and motivational challenges. He also reflected on the mental side of the sport and the personal choices that shape where an athlete ends up, leaving open how long this reset might last and what it means for his next step on the mat. [Read more 🡒]