Penn State’s first fall camp under Matt Campbell began on Wednesday, and the storylines in Happy Valley are clear. There’s an intriguing battle at left tackle, a new defensive coordinator in D’Anton Lynn, and a head coach attempting to meld two rosters together, with all his former Iowa State transfers coming over this offseason.
But what’s happening across the rest of the Big Ten, particularly with the teams Penn State will face in 2026? Let’s zoom out a bit and whip around the conference, keying in on the most important storyline to follow in fall camp for each of the Nittany Lions’ opponents.
Week 4: Wisconsin - Did Luke Fickell finally get it right at QB?
This is overly simplistic and not a question that will simply be answered in fall camp, but after losing starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. last year and Tyler Van Dyke in 2024, Luke Fickell really needs to catch a break. He brought in Colton Joseph from Old Dominion to be his starting QB for 2026, and this time, he finally learned from his mistakes and invested in a backup QB, bringing Deuce Adams over from Louisville to be QB2.
Week 5: Northwestern - David Braun needs the good Chip Kelly
Northwestern is opening new Ryan Field this year, and David Braun is hoping to have a team worthy of his program’s fancy new digs. To that end, he hired Chip Kelly, who has had a roller coaster last two years of his career, helping lead Ohio State to a national title in 2024, then being responsible for one of the NFL’s most disjointed units as the OC of the Raiders in 2025.
Kelly has gone away from the super-spread up-tempo style that he employed at Oregon, but exactly what system he and quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel put in place for transfer quarterback Aiden Chiles is something of a mystery.
Week 6: USC - Does Gary Patterson still have it?
It’ll be interesting to see how USC replaces the production it got from Makai Lemon and Jaylin Lane at wide receiver. However, the bigger storyline is on the defensive side of the ball, and it’s one that was initiated by Penn State when Matt Campbell hired defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn away from the Trojans.
Patterson was last a head coach in 2021 and was last a defensive coordinator in 2000. The longtime head coach wasn’t built to lead a program in the NIL era, but is he still a top defensive mind in the sport, or has it passed him by during his hiatus? Lincoln Riley will have the offense right, so Patterson’s defense will determine the ceiling for this talented USC team.
Week 7: Michigan - Can the youngsters carry 66-year-old Kyle Whittingham’s Wolverines?
Bryce Underwood was the No. 1 player in the 2025 class, but he didn’t live up to those lofty expectations in Year 1, despite leading Michigan to nine wins. Now, with a major coaching upgrade going from Sherrone Moore to Kyle Whittingham, he and fellow sophomore wide receiver Andrew Marsh will be tasked with carrying the passing game.
Underwood and Marsh aren’t the only intriguing youngsters in Ann Arbor, though. Five-star freshman running back Savion Hiter looks ready to contribute right now. How big an impact he makes, even with a reliable veteran running back in Jordan Marshall also in the backfield, may determine if Michigan can navigate a gauntlet of a schedule.
Week 9: Purdue - Did Barry Odom get this overhaul right?
In Year 1, Barry Odom brought 55 transfers into West Lafayette. Purdue improved by one win from 1-11 to 2-10. Now, with the No. 10 transfer class in the Big Ten and a large freshman crop, Purdue has 55 newcomers again this year. Will that group of fresh faces be enough for Purdue to simply be bad and not terrible? Probably not, but maybe this program can win its first Big Ten game since beating Indiana on November 25, 2023. You know, before Curt Cignetti got there.
Week 10: Washington - Does Demond Williams have enough weapons to win?
Lane Kiffin tried his best to pry quarterback Demond Williams away from Washington this offseason, but seemingly, his deal with the Huskies was ironclad. Now, Williams is back, but does he have the weapons to do damage in the Big Ten?
Washington lost Jonah Coleman, its leading rusher from 2025, and Denzel Boston, Williams’ leading pass-catcher. The Huskies also lost running back Adam Mohammed to the transfer portal and Jordan Washington, who was slated to take his place as RB1, to a major neck injury in the spring.
So, fall camp will be all about who emerges at running back and wide receiver for the Huskies.
Week 11: Minnesota - O-line shuffling may set Drake Lindsey's ceiling
After a strong redshirt freshman season, Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey is garnering some legit first-round buzz from the NFL draftnik community. While that’s far from a consensus, just about everyone can agree he won’t hit that ceiling without a reliable offensive line in front of him.
Last year, Minnesota whiffed on its right guard and right tackle transfers. This year, Bennett Warren was the only O-line transfer addition, and he arrives with little experience through two years at Tennessee. If he can’t get up to speed in fall camp, Minnesota’s offensive line and particularly the right side, will be a major issue.
Week 12: Rutgers - QB battle
Last season, Athan Kaliakmanis led a shockingly efficient and effective Rutgers offense. Only Greg Schiano’s typically stout defense didn’t hold up its end of the bargain. Now, Schiano’s defense may take a step forward, but if Rutgers doesn’t get it right at QB, it will be for naught.
Fall camp will be dominated by a QB battle between Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan and Kaliakmanis’s backup from last season, AJ Surace.
Week 13: Maryland - Locksley needs to maximize Malik Washington
Malik Washington was on a short list of best true freshman QBs in the country last season with Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Now, Mike Locksley has to ensure he doesn’t waste the 6-foot-5, 240-pound budding superstar he suddenly has on his hands.
Locksley and offensive coordinator Clint Trickett are attempting to reimagine their offense around Washington. If it works, Maryland could be an unexpectedly tough out in the Big Ten. If not, Washington will be on transfer watch after the season because he would be one of the most coveted players on the open market.
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