Penn State Given Much Higher Ranking Than Virginia Tech Ahead of 2026 Season

Expectations are sky-high for Penn State and new head coach Matt Campbell, though I don't think it's crazy to say he has a great opportunity to fulfill many of them. 

Campbell, who is viewed as an excellent head coach and is expected to succeed at the Big Ten level, recently had his team ranked No. 18 heading into the 2026 college football season.

We're still a few months away from games being played, but that's a promising sign for a Penn State team that has some questions due to all of the transfer portal moves it made and a new head coach.

“Change is the biggest storyline in Happy Valley. Matt Campbell takes over after a successful run at Iowa State but inherited just five starters. Several transfers – including former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht – are counted on to make an instant impact. The Nittany Lions are capable of making a run at the College Football Playoff thanks to a favorable schedule that misses Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State in conference action,” Steven Lassan wrote.

Now, for other Penn State fans who are interested in seeing where former head coach James Franklin ranks, he has them at No. 30. Franklin, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, will have an opportunity to take the Hokies to a spot that they haven't been in in quite some time. Virginia Tech isn't a bad team by any means, but it hasn't been the same type of program that it has been expected to be over the past few years. Franklin, however, has proven, especially at Penn State, that he has the ability to be a program builder, which is exactly what the Hokies are looking for.

“New coach James Franklin is one of the offseason’s top hires.

"And with 14 returning starters, along with the arrival of key transfers in quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and tight end Luke Reynolds, the Hokies are primed for a big-time turnaround after a 3-9 mark last year,” Lassan wrote.