Penn State Set to Have One of the Most Important Games in 2026

There are so many great games in the Big Ten next year. Being that there are 18 teams in the conference and probably nine of them have aspirations of making the College Football Playoff, there will be high-leverage games every week.

For Penn State, they actually drew a fairly favorable schedule, one that they should be able to handle with ease. However, it won't be a total cakewalk. 

On Monday, FOX's Joel Klatt released the top 10 games that will have the most impact on the 2026 season and the 2026-27 College Football Playoff. 

While there are several Ohio State games, a trio of Texas games, and a couple of Michigan games on this list. There is also one Penn State game on that list. 

On October 10th, the USC Trojans fly across the country to Happy Valley in what could be one of the great games of the entire season.

This should be a game between two teams with playoff aspirations, but neither of which is invincible. Because of that, that makes this game feels like a playoff game. A win in this game will put the winner in very good shape heading into the second half of the season.

The loser, well, the loser of this game is going to be in a very shaky position. They will either just lose some of their margin for error for the rest of the season going forward.

This game should be the whiteout game that is so coveted by the Penn State fanbase. It is by far the biggest game on their home calendar, and it would make for an absolutely perfect whiteout game.

The only entity that has the power to ruin that is FOX Big Noon kickoff. If they pin this game at noon, not only would it be a disaster for the potential whiteout, but it would also be totally unfair to the Trojans, who are already fighting time constraints.

For Penn State specifically, this game is likely going to be viewed as a must-win. The Nittany Lions have one of the easiest schedules in the entire country, with just three hard games on it. If they get swept in those three, it will be hard to make the playoffs.

If they sweep or take two out of three, then they are pretty much in the playoffs. 

Penn State versus USC is one of the biggest games on the calendar next year, and according to Joel Klatt, it will have a major influence on the College Football Playoff.

Penn State Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Penn State Nittany Lions. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.