Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell came to Happy Valley in hopes of surpassing what former head coach James Franklin's ceiling was. Almost all can agree that time ran out with Franklin. Once Campbell was hired, though, managing Year 1 expectations was critical despite the Nittany Lions having been on the brink of a College Football Playoff National Championship Game appearance just one season prior.
The 2025 season proved that setting the bar high was essentially a recipe for Penn State failure, at least with Franklin in charge. With Campbell coming over from Iowa State, adjusting to the Big Ten with his crew of Cyclone transfers, following staff members, and depleted 2026 recruitment class was the main priority in Year 1 along with instilling a culture that emphasized the program's new era.
While this still remains true, Campbell's first season leading the blue and white came with a gift: the 2026 schedule.
It's well known by this point that Penn State escapes facing Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon, and that its toughest opponents are Michigan and USC. Campbell is in the right spot: a program turning the page to a new chapter with a lighter Big Ten schedule.
This is an almost perfect kickstart to his tenure with the Nittany Lions, but J.D. PicKell of On3 gave another perspective as to why it's not "the right time" for this schedule to hit.
"You don't always get to pick when the right place arrives. Right place, right time is such a 'perfect world' way to look at things. It's often times not that way really in any experience in life, but especially not here," PicKell said. "Like 'right time' would be two years from now when Matt Campbell's got his feet underneath him a little bit more, we're not leaning on taking a bunch of transfers from Iowa State, and we got all our culture installed. That would be the 'right time' to have the schedule. You don't get to pick. Sorry. We got to make it happen now, Matt Campbell."
Penn State needs to make it the "right time"@PennStateOn3 pic.twitter.com/6N5VmMmqgM
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) June 1, 2026
J.D. PicKell says 'the time is now' for Penn State and Matt Campbell in 2026
PicKell stated that this is the kind of schedule Franklin could make a playoff run with. A CFP appearance in Year 1 wasn't necessarily the expectation when the schedule was first released. It was more so a hope and something that could happen. As more time passes, it's obvious that Campbell can't allow this opportunity to pass by him.
"We got to make the most of what this schedule presents because there's no guarantee what your schedule looks like in two years. It might be awesome, but I wouldn't bank on it. I wouldn't have that be my saving grace in the back of my mind," PicKell continued. "The time is now if you're Penn State. And I hate saying, 'The time is now,' because I think it's an overdone saying in our space, but that's how it feels to me. The time is now for Penn State to go make some noise in Year 1 under Matt Campbell."
PicKell isn't wrong. This schedule is the perfect way for Campbell to start his tenure off with, even if it would have been better for him to have it a couple years in instead.
This can go one of two ways, and that's up to Campbell and his Nittany Lions to decide which way it goes. If they capitalize on the schedule, go 10-2, and make a convincing case for a CFP appearance in Year 1, recruitment and portal action will skyrocket for them. It creates the most solid foundation Campbell can have after just one season to build Penn State into a championship worthy team again.
The other way it can pan out is just proving Campbell needs a little more time to stabilize. That's fine as long as the Nittany Lions finish with a winning record and don't have embarrassing performances against evidently weaker teams. It's not ideal, but it's — at the most — fine.
PicKell is still right, though. The future of Penn State can be determined in Year 1 under Campbell. Campbell must make this season "the right time."
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