CBS ranked each program after Spring Ball wrapped up, and the Nittany Lions got some respect.
CBS completed a fun exercise ranking each of the programs in Division One after Spring Ball came to a close and the Nittany Lions were shown some respect.
Coming out of Spring Ball after a tumultuous 2025 season, the Nittany Lions checked in as the No. 18 team in the country, two spots behind Michigan, wedged between Tennessee and Washington.
They are still not exactly where they want to be, but new head coach Matt Campbell has completely turned the entire program around from all perspectives. They went from appearing to be on a downward slide to turning the entire thing around virtually overnight.
This list not only shows where the Nittany Lions land, but it also tells the story of where all of their opponents fall on the list.
In Penn State's first "quarter" of the season, they don't play any opponent that is ranked higher than 88th in the country. That team is the Marshall Thundering Herd, who check in at the 88th spot.
Temple comes in at 105th while the Buffalo Bulls check in at 115th in the country.
Then, Big Ten play starts, and the Nittany Lions get quite the welcoming handshake to their conference season.
They start Big Ten play with the 61st-ranked Wisconsin Badgers, only to be followed up by the 48th-ranked (and rising) Northwestern Wildcats.
After those two games, they get their first major challenge of the year when they host the No. 14 USC Trojans before hitting the road for the No. 16 Michigan Wolverines.
Reprieve is on the way, as after Michigan, four of their final five games are against some lower competition. They get the 99th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers, the 40th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, the 64th-ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and then finally, the 51st-ranked Maryland Terrapins.
The one major test in the final stretch run is the 19th-ranked Washington Huskies, which will likely be their toughest road trip of the season.
Penn State's schedule sets up nicely, and they will have the opportunity to get their season off on an incredibly hot start before their schedule toughens up. They likely need to start 5-0 on the season before they host USC in the middle of October.
Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions get a favorable schedule for 2026. They must take full advantage of it.
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