The Preseason AP Poll released Monday, Aug. 17. This time last year, Penn State football was the No. 2 team heading into the season with massive expectations to make a championship run. Ahead of the 2026 season, there's a lot less pressure as new head coach Matt Campbell enters year one with the Nittany Lions.
They may not have made it out alive by the end of the 2025 season, but they're still a Top 25 teams heading into this one with their schedule and combined talent from returners and transfers on the roster. Ahead of Week 1, Penn State is exactly where it should be in the poll.
The Nittany Lions are ranked 18th in the poll, sandwiched between Washington and SMU. It's one of seven Big Ten teams that made it into the preseason rankings.
It's not a surprising placement for the blue and white. They're certainly not a Top 10 or even Top 15 team, but a Top 20 team is the perfect baseline for Campbell heading into the season. The rankings also made it obvious — if it wasn't already — who Penn State's biggest competition is in 2026.
Penn State ranks behind its three biggest 2026 opponents in the Preseason AP Poll
The Nittany Lions don't have a tough schedule. They avoid Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana (which were ranked No. 1, 2, and 6, respectively, in the poll). Campbell has to prove himself one way or another, though, and the AP Poll stated very clearly which teams he has to put up a solid fight against: USC, Michigan, and Washington.
Coincidentally, those are the three teams directly ranked above Penn State at No. 15, 16, and 17, respectively. That happens to be the exact order the Nittany Lions face those teams as well on the schedule.
The Trojans come to Beaver Stadium in Week 6 after Penn state gets a couple softball Big Ten contests in Wisconsin and Northwestern. A warmup, essentially, to USC is perfect for Campbell as he and his "Penn State Nittany Clones" adjust to the Big Ten. Immediately after, the blue and white take on the Wolverines on the road. Following a bye week and a Week 9 game vs. Purdue, the Nittany Lions visit the Huskies.
There's zero separation between these teams in the preseason poll, meaning all three of those games are critical for Penn State. If there are already comments, such as the one from Eric Olson, saying No. 18 is a "generous" spot for the blue and white, too, Campbell can't go 0-3 against them.
That tier of teams is his opportunity to prove the Nittany Lions belong. They don't have a strong College Football Playoff case considering their schedule, but incrementally climbing up the ranks is still important whether or not they make it into the postseason. Athletic director Pat Kraft isn't expecting a national title in year one; no one is. There just has to be a foundation Penn State can build on, and the AP Poll laid out the path to do so.
Add us as a preferred source on Google