Penn State's start to the season couldn't get much lighter as the Nittany Lions face the Buffalo Bulls in week three.
Penn State's start to the 2026 season gets off to a very light start as they begin with Marshall before visiting Temple and finally ending with the Buffalo Bulls.
It is absolutely not out of the question that Penn State could slip up against one of these teams, but it is not likely. When they come home to host Buffalo, they should be 2-0, looking to be 3-0.
In the big picture, it's absolutely imperative that Penn State takes care of business in these first three games, and truthfully, they need to do it convincingly. The feeling around Matt Campbell right now is that he can do no wrong.
One stinker in the first month of the season will throw all of that goodwill away, and he will be battling to keep the fanbase.
Regardless, the Buffalo Bulls will come to town in week three looking to play spoiler. Buffalo is historically one of the toughest MAC teams in the conference, but is coming off a rough year in 2025.
Historically, Penn State is 3-1 against the Bulls all time.
Buffalo missed the postseason by going 5-7 last year after expectations were sky-high. On the contrary, in 2024, the Bulls had no expectations but ripped off a nine-win season.
It seems to be that way in MAC that each year, no one can predict what is to happen, but what we can guarantee is months' worth of chaos.
Last year was a tale of the quarterback position. The Bulls have a strong roster from top to bottom, but they got less than ideal quarterback play, which resulted in them struggling through the year.
This year, incumbent TaQuan Roberson will be competing with Jason Wright who saw time last year and Elijah Holmes, who transfers in from Wingate, where he threw 24 touchdowns last year. The belief is that Holmes will make a strong case to be the quarterback, but time will certainly tell.
On defense, the Bulls are a force to be reckoned with. They have a strong secondary that added a couple of nice pieces in the portal. Keontez Bradley, Kobi Blackwell, and safety Miles Greer are joined by transfers Sayre Smothers (The Citadel) and Zayre Jennings (West Virginia). It will be a formidable group that Buffalo can depend on.
Up front, they have some very good depth pieces, and the Bulls are known to have the ability to generate pressure all game long. They will be a tough defense to contend with for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State will be massive favorites against the Bulls in a game that they must win before they begin the Big Ten schedule.
The Nittany Lions will have a great opportunity to move to 3-0 on the year with a ton of excitement surrounding the program heading into Big Ten play.
