Matt Campbell isn’t saying a word about the College Football Playoff in his first season at Penn State, but the conversation around the Nittany Lions keeps going anyway.
The latest push came from ESPN’s Greg McElroy, who said Penn State is a legitimate playoff contender this season. His reasoning starts with the schedule, which he sees as unusually favorable because it avoids five of the Big Ten’s top teams, including the conference’s top three. Penn State doesn’t have to play Ohio State, Indiana or Oregon.
“This might be the most fascinating, gettable schedule in the country because of who's holding it,” McElroy said on the latest edition of "Always College Football."
McElroy ranked Penn State’s slate No. 2 among the Big Ten’s most manageable, behind Iowa. That comparison is a little odd, since the teams don’t play each other, and the two schedules look fairly similar on paper.
Iowa does have at least one Power 4 non-conference game, though it comes against an Iowa State team expected to struggle without Campbell. The Hawkeyes also miss Oregon and Indiana, but they do host Ohio State and go on the road to Washington and Michigan.
Penn State’s closing stretch is Rutgers and Maryland, while Iowa finishes at Illinois and home against Nebraska.
One place McElroy is clearly right to separate the two teams is quarterback. Penn State has its starter in Rocco Becht, who has started and won more games than any returner in the FBS. Iowa, meanwhile, still has a decision to make between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown.
McElroy also leaned hard into the idea that Campbell rebuilt Penn State from the ground up, but that part needs some context. The Nittany Lions brought back 52 players from their 2026 team, though only 27 of them were on scholarship, as McElroy noted. Still, saying Campbell “did something radical” and “tore the roster to the studs” suggests he had a lot more control over the turnover than he really did.
Penn State was already headed for major attrition through eligibility and the NFL Draft. Eight players were drafted, and seven more signed free-agent deals. Add in nearly 50 transfers, and the roster was going to look very different no matter what.
Even so, Campbell and his staff managed to keep several key pieces in place, including linebacker Tony Rojas, cornerbacks Zion Tracy and Audavion Collins, tight end Andrew Rappleyea and offensive linemen Anthony Donkoh and Cooper Cousins.
That’s why McElroy’s most interesting point may be the one about what Penn State could become if it clicks early. He said Campbell “inherited a built-in path to eight or nine wins,” if a roster with 20-plus new faces can figure out who it is quickly. He also argued that a soft schedule only matters if the locker room can come together fast enough.
“... So make no mistake.
The most gettable landing, the softest landing in the Big Ten this year got handed to a guy that might have a legitimate chance to make the playoff in year number one. I really think that's possile for Penn State this year.”
Penn State opens the season Sept. 5 against Marshall at Beaver Stadium.
In Other News...
Beau Pribula Just Reached A Career Crossroads Penn State Fans Know Well
Beau Pribula is heading into another fresh start, and this one comes with the kind of opportunity he never quite found in Happy Valley. Virginia has brought in the former Penn State quarterback by way of Missouri for the 2026 season, and after stops at two major programs, he is positioned to open a new chapter with the Cavaliers in a spot that has long been one of the most scrutinized on any roster.
The quarterback competition in Charlottesville paired Pribula with Pittsburgh transfer Eli Holstein, giving Virginia a battle between two experienced portal additions. Holstein has been slotted in behind him, and for Penn State fans, the broader arc is easy to recognize: a quarterback once caught in the shuffle is now getting another chance to define his own path, with a familiar name waiting on the schedule when Virginia closes the regular season on Nov. 28. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces Growing Pressure In Matt Campbells First Roster Test
Matt Campbells first summer at Penn State is arriving with the usual buildup of training camp and Big Ten Media Days, but the real pressure point is already visible in the roster work behind the scenes. The Nittany Lions 2027 recruiting class sits 21st nationally, a solid starting point but one that has been complicated by the coaching change and the normal tug of war that comes with regional ties and a new staff trying to make its mark.
There is also the broader roster churn to account for after 49 players transferred out following last season, a number that speaks to how much rebuilding and rebalancing still has to happen. Penn State can still lean on a strong NIL structure and the pull of Beaver Stadium, which could top 108,000 this fall, but the next few weeks will say plenty about whether Campbell can turn those advantages into momentum before the season opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Campbell Faces An Early Recruiting Test Penn State Can't Lose
Matt Campbells first offseason in charge has already brought an early recruiting reality check, and the 2027 cycle is showing how much work still sits ahead. Penn States success has long depended on winning the right battles in its core recruiting territory, and the programs most important pipeline states remain Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and New England.
The concern is that the board is not breaking cleanly in Penn States favor, especially at home, where the Nittany Lions have only one commitment among the top in-state names so far. Virginia has become even more complicated with James Franklin now at Virginia Tech, a move that could shift familiar relationships and make an already vital pipeline harder to protect as Campbell tries to establish his own footing. [Read more 🡒]