Matt Campbell walked into Penn State with a first-year schedule that looks tailor-made to build momentum. The problem is that the same setup could leave the Nittany Lions with a record that sounds strong on paper and still falls short of the College Football Playoff.
Cleveland.com’s Big Ten preseason media poll, released Monday, put Penn State at No. 6.
Only two teams ranked ahead of the Nittany Lions show up on their 2026 schedule, which gives Campbell a real opening in Year 1. But it also creates a strange kind of pressure: the path to 10 wins is there, yet the CFP path may still be blocked.
Penn State’s nonconference slate does plenty of the early work. Marshall, Temple and Buffalo are on the schedule, and the Nittany Lions also draw four of the bottom five teams in the conference. That should get Campbell close to seven wins without much drama.
From there, Wisconsin, Washington and Minnesota are the swing games. Those are the kinds of Big Ten matchups Penn State should have the edge in, even with a roster that saw 39 transfers arrive in the offseason and a rebuild being pushed through fast. If the Nittany Lions handle those three, they get to 10 wins without needing a true upset.
That’s where the catch comes in. A 10-2 Big Ten team usually has a strong playoff case. Penn State might not.
The concern is that the Nittany Lions could reach 10 wins without a single ranked victory. That’s not the most likely outcome, but it is absolutely possible. Even if Washington or Minnesota are sitting near the back end of the top 25, those wins probably wouldn’t do much to change how the committee views Penn State.
And that would leave Campbell in a tough spot. The new regime changes the face of the program, but it doesn’t automatically change the committee’s judgment. If Penn State lands at 10-2, the reaction could still be cold, and the old idea that the Nittany Lions can’t win the biggest games would hang around.
The comparison that fits best is last year’s Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish opened with losses to Miami and Texas A&M, then watched an at-large bid slip away when the final CFP rankings were revealed.
Their ranked wins came against No. 20 USC, which finished No. 16, and No.
22 Pitt, which ended up unranked.
Penn State’s problem is that USC and Michigan - the two teams ahead of it on the Cleveland.com poll that appear on the schedule - both face Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon. That gives both programs plenty of chances to stack losses, which could drag down the value of any win Penn State gets over them.
So while Campbell’s first season comes with a soft landing, it also comes with a high bar. In most years, 10-2 would keep a Big Ten team in the playoff conversation.
For Penn State, it probably won’t be enough. The Nittany Lions may need 11-1, and even that might not guarantee anything.
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Fired Former Penn State Doctor Is Suddenly Back In A Huge Fight
The College Football Players Association has taken a notable step at Stanford, where current players have launched the groups first-ever chapter and chosen their own representatives. The move gives the CFBPA a foothold on a campus and adds another layer to its push to educate and advocate for college football players, with the long-range goal of building toward unionization and collective bargaining.
For Penn State, the twist is the presence of Dr. Scott Lynch, the former team doctor who now serves on the CFBPA board and as vice president of health and safety. Lynch has been one of the organizations more visible supporters, and his involvement brings an old Penn State name back into a very new fight, especially with the group still trying to expand its reach after earlier organizing efforts around the Nittany Lions ran into resistance. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Gets A Harsh Big Ten Reality Check In Preseason Poll
Penn States first Big Ten preseason media poll under Matt Campbell came with a clear message from around the conference: the Nittany Lions have work to do. The 46-member poll, put together by Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis, slotted Penn State seventh heading into the 2026 season, a steep drop from the kind of lofty preseason billing the program carried a year ago.
That slide says as much about last seasons 7-6 finish and the firing of James Franklin as it does about where the league sees Penn State right now. Ohio State and Oregon sat atop the poll, and for Campbell, the challenge is obvious: change the conversation quickly enough that the Nittany Lions are no longer being measured against disappointment before the season even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State May Have Its Next Edge Rusher Ready To Emerge
Penn State has spent the early part of camp sorting through a young group of defensive ends, and Max Granville is starting to stand out in that mix. The redshirt sophomore reclassified to join the 2024 team early, and after adding weight and strength since then, he looks much more like the kind of edge presence the Nittany Lions have leaned on in recent seasons. Even with limited spring participation, Granville has been working toward a bigger role and is in the mix with other young ends for playing time.
The encouraging part for Penn State is how quickly Granville seems to be trending in the right direction. He was limited in spring drills, but the expectation is that he will be ready for the regular season, which matters for a defensive line still looking to settle its rotation. If his early-camp progress carries over, the Nittany Lions may have another disruptive piece developing at one of the most important spots on the defense. [Read more 🡒]