Penn State’s season has already exposed a hard truth: if the Nittany Lions want Matt Campbell to push them into national-title territory, the school is going to have to open the checkbook.
The 3-3, 0-3 Big Ten start has turned the 2026 season into a reality check. Penn State entered Week 7 still chasing its first interconference win, still sorting through an inconsistent defense, and still waiting for wide receiver Koby Howard to return, which won’t be for at least one more game.
A lot of the optimism around Campbell centered on the idea that his Iowa State roots could translate quickly in Happy Valley, especially with so many former Cyclones on the roster. But the Big Ten has been a different test entirely, and once the non-conference schedule ended, the gap between hope and reality got wide fast.
The talent is there in spots. It just hasn’t been enough where Penn State needs it most.
Rocco Becht looked sharper against USC, but his games against Wisconsin and Northwestern were rough. The ground game has been ugly, and Howard’s absence has made the passing attack even tougher to sustain. Defensively, the returning Penn State pieces from 2025 have carried a heavy burden, while former Cyclones such as linebacker Kooper Ebel have let Big Ten offenses do, essentially, whatever they want.
There’s still half a season left, but the larger issue is already plain: Penn State has to adjust, and fast. The transfer portal is one obvious path, especially with Campbell’s lack of success in the 2027 recruitment cycle. And beyond the 2027 class, future recruiting classes need to be hit hard.
The bigger point is the one that sits underneath all of it. Campbell’s “do more with less” approach is not built for this job. Penn State has to operate in a “do more with more” world.
Josh Pate put it bluntly on Tuesday.
"This is not a Matt Campbell thing to me. It's a talent deficiency thing and they're not going to fix it overnight," Josh Pate said on Tuesday.
"But I do think a decision has to be made up there and it's your decision to make. You [have to] decide how much you're going to invest in football.
Because you got to be a big spender at Penn State."
That spending question is the one hanging over the program now. Penn State wants to get back into the national title conversation with Campbell, but that means building a roster that looks like a playoff roster, not one that resembles Iowa State East or the Penn State Nittany Clones.
According to The Athletic as of Sept. 16, Penn State’s roster budget is in the $29-32 million range.
That puts the Nittany Lions seventh in the Big Ten and on the higher end of the league’s average. But it also leaves them in a band that, per The Athletic, carries only a 15 to 25 percent chance of making the playoff.
The teams with stronger postseason odds are spending more. The Athletic placed rosters in the $37-41 million range at a 25 to 50 percent playoff chance, while teams in the $41-46 million range sit at 50 percent or higher.
Penn State had expectations when it moved on from James Franklin. Franklin’s peak came in that semifinal loss to Notre Dame.
Campbell’s bar is higher now. If the Nittany Lions really want a shot at the championship level, the responsibility is on everyone involved - the coach, the staff, the university, and the athletic department.
At this point, the message is simple: if Penn State wants to buy a real shot at the College Football Playoff, it has to spend like it means it.
In Other News...
Penn State Still Feels The Fallout From One Costly Decision
Penn States autumn of upheaval began with James Franklins firing on Oct. 12, 2025, after a third straight Big Ten loss, and the ripple effects have barely let up since. What followed was a 54-day coaching search that finally landed on Matt Campbell, a move meant to steady the program after a jarring midseason reset and give the Nittany Lions a clean path forward.
Instead, the broader conversation around the program has lingered on the process itself, from the pursuit of Bob Chesney and Kalani Sitake to the questions now facing athletic director Pat Kraft. Penn State did open the next season 3-0, but the subsequent losses quickly shut the door on College Football Playoff hopes, leaving the search for answers to stretch well beyond the coaching carousel and into how the decision-making unfolded in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Linebacker Room Just Took Another Hit
Penn States linebacker depth took another blow this week when Alex Tatsch was ruled out for the rest of the season after getting hurt in practice. Coach Matt Campbell confirmed the setback, though the exact nature of the injury is still being sorted out, leaving the Nittany Lions to keep adjusting in a spot that has already been tested.
Cam Smiths recovery offers at least a little encouragement for a room that has needed it. He is expected back soon, which gives Penn State a chance to stabilize a position group that has been thinned by injuries at a time when depth matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Used White Out Weekend To Turn Up Recruiting Pressure
White Out weekend once again doubled as a recruiting showcase for Penn State, with the program bringing more than 100 prospects to campus for one of its biggest annual sales pitches. The visitor list was loaded with the majority of the 2027 class, including 18 of the 22 committed players, while several highly rated 2028 prospects also made the trip to State College.
The timing matters because the Nittany Lions are trying to keep momentum rolling well beyond the current class, which is ranked No. 20 nationally. Along with hosting the committed group, Penn State also used the event to extend offers to players in the 2028, 2029 and 2030 classes, another sign the staff was thinking as much about long-term pressure as the atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium. [Read more 🡒]