Penn State football enters a new era in 2026 with head coach Matt Campbell, his new staff, and fresh faces on the roster moving forward.
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With the exodus of players, whether due to eligibility or the Transfer Portal, Campbell had to get to work quickly piecing together his team. Lucky for him, he had more than enough players from Iowa State willing and wanting to follow him to Happy Valley. Media and analysts approved of Campbell's aggressive approach in the portal, and the Nittany Lions continue earning praise as one of the best roster turnouts after portal action.
CBS Sports' Will Backus is just the most recent to do so. In his Big Ten power ranking for 2026, he analyzed where teams in the conference stand after the Transfer Portal cycle. He said the obvious Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan, and USC squads are no surprises as some of the best in the Big Ten. Penn State is right on their tails, though.
CBS Sports's Will Backus ranks Penn State at No. 7 in Big Ten power rankings for 2026
Backus put the Nittany Lions in the Top 10 of his power rankings. Spots one through six were taken by the Hoosiers, Buckeyes, Ducks, Wolverines, Trojans, and Huskies. Rounding out the last three sports were the Hawkeyes, Golden Gophers, and Cornhuskers.
He started off his explanation for Penn State with hiring Campbell to begin with and how the blue and white reaped practically all the benefits from plucking him from the Cyclones.
"Penn State fired James Franklin midseason, embarked on an apparently bumbling coaching search and still landed on one of the best options possible by poaching Iowa State's Matt Campbell. He's bringing a majority of his Cyclones with him."
Of those Iowa State players, quarterback Rocco Becht remains the headliner with key pieces, like tight end Benjamin Brahmer and running back Carson Hansen backing him up.
"Twenty-three former Iowa State players followed Campbell to Happy Valley. Quarterback Rocco Becht gives the Nittany Lions a solid replacement in the wake of Drew Allar's departure. Other Cyclones transplants like tight end Benjamin Brahmer, defensive back Marcus Neal Jr., running back Carson Hansen and linebacker Caleb Bacon will have a major impact off the bat. "
The blue and white want to surge to the top: that's their ultimate goal. Not just in the Big Ten, but overall in the country. Their goal is a national championship, and that couldn't be clearer following Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin's firing. According to Backus, Penn State's on track to doing just that. No. 7 is a decent spot for Campbell to be in.