Penn State football has looked a lot like "Iowa State East" as the 2026 season approached the midway point. The Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) enter Week 7 without an interconference win under their belt, an inconsistent defense, and an offense that must cope without wide receiver Koby Howard for at least one more game.
Heading into the season, there was a lot of hope for what head coach Matt Campbell could accomplish with a new Penn State squad littered with players who transferred over from Iowa State. The Big Ten is a different beast than the Big 12, and everyone in Happy Valley got a rude awakening once the non-conference slate concluded.
The roster has talent, but it doesn't have Big Ten talent. Quarterback Rocco Becht looked better against USC, but his performances against Wisconsin and Northwestern were bleak, underwhelming, and disappointing. On top of that, the run game was brutal to watch and Howard's absence made it difficult for the pass game to be fully effective. On the other side of the ball, the returning Nittany Lions from 2025 are carrying a ton of the workload as former Cyclones, like linebacker Kooper Ebel, have allowed Big Ten offenses to do, essentially, whatever they want.
There's still an entire half of the 2026 college football season to play, but looking ahead into the near future of Campbell's tenure, adjustments must be made. The Transfer Portal is one way to go about it, which will likely be another hot spot for Campbell given his lack of success in 2027 recruitment. Past the 2027 class, though, he has to hit these future recruitment cycles hard.
If Penn State wants to win a championship, Matt Campbell needs the funds
Penn State is not the place for Campbell's "do more with less" philosophy. The Nittany Lions need to "do more with more."
The combination of the portal and recruiting means one thing if Penn State wants Big Ten-level talent: Campbell and the Nittany Lions must be willing to spend.
The core issue with Penn State right now is glaringly evident. pic.twitter.com/E9VnmhrVGY
— Dylan Dawson (@PSU_Dylan) October 13, 2026
"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."
The goal in Happy Valley is to get back into national title contention conversations with Campbell. While talks about the right personnel on the staff could come up, but right now, it's about the roster. Penn State must acquire national title level talent if that's where the Nittany Lions want to end up. "Iowa State East" or the "Penn State Nittany Clones" don't cut it, clearly.
Penn State is at about the $29-32 million mark in roster budgets, according to The Athletic as of Sept. 16. The Nittany Lions are seventh in the Big Ten in spending, falling on the higher end of the conference's roster budget average. This $29-32 million range, though, is not where playoff contenders are. Per The Athletic, teams in the $29-33 range have a 15 to 25 percent chance at making the playoffs (though there will always be some upsets and exceptions).
The teams with higher postseason expectations? Their rosters are in the $41-46 million range (50 percent or higher chance) or the $37-41 million range (25 to 50 percent chance).
There were expectations for Penn State after it fired James Franklin. Franklin's ceiling was reached when the Nittany Lions lost in the semifinal game to Notre Dame. For Campbell now in his tenure, he must go further than that. It's not just on him and it's not just on his staff. It's also on the university and athletic department. If the ultimate goal is a national title, the direction the Nittany Lions need to go is clear.
Money might not buy happiness, but it can definitely buy a shot in the College Football Playoff.
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