A new coach, a loaded transfer portal, and a favorable schedule set the stage for Penn State's Big Ten championship aspirations. Can they seize the opportunity?
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the wild card of the 2026 college football preseason.
New head coach Matt Campbell brought in 23 transfers from an 8-4 Iowa State team to fill PSU's depleted roster this offseason. Quarterback Rocco Becht is still recovering from his two shoulder injuries from last season.
PSU fired head coach James Franklin after going 3-3 to start the season. Clearly, the expectations are high for coaches at Penn State.
The Nittany Lions want to win big games and compete for championships.
The big talking point this offseason is that Penn State has a relatively easy schedule in 2026. The Nittany Lions will not play Ohio State, Oregon or Indiana.
During his show on Thursday, college football insider Josh Pate argued that Penn State has a good chance to make it to the Big Ten championship based on schedule alone, if they can split wins against USC and Michigan.
“A lot of it is scheduling based," Pate said. “Also, let's look beyond the schedule. Because schedule is don't play games, teams do. The team that they are going to put on the field this fall, this roster, they did lose some guys.
"They kept kind of a core base of the Penn State roster. They imported the top two layers of the Iowa State roster. That also comes with a quarterback offensive coordinator combo. So you've got one of those situations."
PSU won't enter the season with expectations of winning the Big Ten or making the College Football Playoff. But Pate thinks the team could build momentum as the season goes on thanks to a cohesive coaching staff.
“Head coach comes in, but he also sort of brings his guys with him," Pate said. "That includes in this case, quarterback offensive coordinator. So no one's having to learn new systems at the quarterback position, at least.
"And also, they could be a downhill momentum candidate."
Campbell was able to get ISU to upset elite teams in the Big 12. However, he never won the Big 12 championship.
Iowa State was throttled by Arizona State in the 2024 Big 12 championship.
It remains to be seen if the core Campbell inherited at Penn State is enough for him to elevate the team to elite status.