Penn State football is on the hunt back into the College Football Playoff after finishing the 2025 season with a disappointing 6-6 record. Despite efforts to turn the back half of the season around, new head coach Matt Campbell has work to do as he takes on the Big Ten for his first season.
Matt Campbell's start at Penn State earned a top spot for offseasons in the Big Ten
Thankfully for Campbell, the 2026 season is a perfect opportunity to lay a solid foundation he can build upon. Joel Klatt of FOX Sports emphasized that the Nittany Lions' upcoming regular season schedule is somewhat of a gift.
"There are some teams ranked behind Penn State who have better rosters, but if you look at the schedule, the Nittany Lions should be a top-15 team," Klatt wrote.
Avoiding Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon cannot be overstated. The toughest competition Campbell faces is versus Michigan and USC. Not needing to pull out wins in big games is a huge win for Penn State as it enters its new chapter. In addition to that, the Nittany Lions have an experienced quarterback in Rocco Becht and a familiar roster for Campbell who brought over a number of
"I think they can make a run at 10 wins," Klatt concluded.
The remaining question is if that's enough to sneak into the CFP. Ten wins, regardless of the schedule, is a hot start for Campbell. Ten wins without a challenging schedule might not be hot enough for a national championship chance.
CBS Sports predicts Penn State's ceiling is a non-playoff bowl game
The Nittany Lions beat Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl in 2025. This was the exclamation point on the second half of the season that former interim head coach Terry Smith put together. That was a ceiling Penn State barely met.
In 2026, that's its floor.
CBS Sports put out its predictions for the upcoming season's CFP contenders and non-playoff bowl game matchups.
Unfortunately for Campbell and his new squad of Nittany Lions, they were put into non-playoff bowl game territory. Brad Crawford's post-spring projections have Penn State facing Texas A&M in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The Aggies were a CFP team in 2025, their first appearance in program history, as the No. 7 seed. They ultimately lost in the first-round to No. 10 Miami.
As for Big Ten teams Crawford believes will make a CFP appearance, he has Indiana as the No. 6 seed, Ohio State as the No. 8 seed, and Oregon as the No. 3 seed — the three teams Campbell should be grateful he doesn't have to face in the regular season.
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