The 2026 regular season schedule for Penn State football gives head coach Matt Campbell a chance to start his tenure off on a high note. Still, though, a new era of Nittany Lion ball doesn't automatically mean they will skyrocket to the top. Expectations needs to be contained, and FOX Sports did just that in its way-too-early Top 25 predictions.
Way too early Top 25 predictions already setting Penn State up for disappointment
On3 previously ranked Penn State 14th in its early Top 25 prediction, putting teams, like Ole Miss and Missouri, behind the blue and white. Though FOX Sports' RJ Young kept the Nittany Lions in the teens, he put them at a more realistic spot even if it's just by a few.
FOX Sports predicts Penn State lands at No. 17 in Top 25 rankings for 2026 season
Young predicted Penn State being the 17th-ranked team in the country for 2026, just in front of Washington and right behind Michigan. He also predicted the Nittany Lions finishing with a 7-6 record.
"New Penn State head coach Matt Campbell left a Big 12 program he had built into a budding power to take over one of college football’s most storied programs. Players following Campbell, like former Iowa State players like quarterback Rocco Becht — along with unrealized talent such as former Ohio State running back James Peoples — should make Penn State competitive at the top of the Big Ten from Week 1 onward."
Penn State faces Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo in its non-conference slate starting Sept. 5 in Week 1. The Big Ten schedule isn't confirmed, but the Nittany Lions faces Michigan, USC, and Washington as their biggest competitors. This is a much lighter version of the Iowa-Ohio State-Indiana trio they faced in 2025, though still competitive nonetheless.
Campbell has a good shot at proving himself and his new squad of Penn Staters — roster and staff alike — with this schedule, which also features Maryland, Purdue, and Northwestern. On paper, it might even seem possible for Campbell to make a case for a College Football Playoff appearance.
However, it's his first season and Penn State realistically won't just go from a disappointment to sudden championship contenders. A 7-6 record and falling towards the back of the Top 25 is a good start for Campbell, and that's a ceiling that can easily be met with what he has ahead of him for 2026. Anything more is a bonus.