Penn State football has a number of hurdles, must-wins, and piling pressure for the 2025-26 season. While every game is important, especially against top ranked teams, ESPN's Jake Trotter believes there's one "archvillain" facing head coach James Franklin — the reigning national champions.
Franklin already has a history of losing games when they matter the most. Overcoming that narrative is at the forefront of Penn State's priorities; not to squash "Big Game James," but to win championships. The Nittany Lions will face more than one must-win scenario, even just in the regular season.
Penn State faces Oregon on Sept. 27 to kickoff its "actual" schedule (considering Weeks 1 to 3 are against non-conference, easy win opponents). It's all Big Ten action from thereon out, including Iowa on Oct. 18 and Indiana on Nov. 8. According to Trotter, though, the biggest hump of the season for the Nittany Lions to overcome is Ohio State on Nov. 1.
Jake Trotter of ESPN says Ryan Day is James Franklin's archvillain of the 2025-26 season
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day has a perfect 6-0 record against the Nittany Lions. In Nov. 2024, Ohio State defeated Penn State 20-13, earning Day his sixth win against the conference rival.
Day will have to face a very experienced team in 2025, though, especially compared to his Buckeyes.
Ohio State has a new starting quarterback and high-ranked recruits on both offense and defense taking the field. It's uncertain if Julian Sayin will hit the ground running or if the season's start will be slow for the Buckeyes. Regardless, they face the Nittany Lions in Week 10, so Day has plenty of time to get his team in a groove and ready for the nearby postseason.
On the other hand, Penn State should be in a comfortable position at every point in the season. Whether Franklin can withstand the pressure is another story, but logistically, he has a team rolling into the season as a Big Ten and College Football Playoffs favorite.
Trotter noted three of many returning starters Penn State has: seniors Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen. If the Nittany Lions can't defeat the Buckeyes late into the regular season, Trotter and Dave Wilson think it'll foreshadow the remainder of the season and into the playoffs. It's facing Ohio State deep into the regular season where wins and losses start foreshadowing postseason performances. Penn State could be faced with another unfortunate loss deep into CFP once again if it blows Week 10's contest.
This time, though, Franklin can't rely on his stars returning for 2026-27. He has a stacked roster now, and if he can't pull out the major wins, it'll be a tough journey back to the top when his veterans filter out after 2025-26.