Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
2 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 6 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / NATE BAUER | WEBSITE EDITOR A fresh start with Matt Campbell at the helm. A blended roster featuring the best of Penn State and Iowa State. An undeniably fa- vorable schedule awaiting the Nittany Lions. All are valid talking points surrounding Penn State's 2026 season. But none answer the fundamental question that will dictate its regular-season record, Big Ten championship hopes and College Football Playoff participa- tion: Are they good? In Penn State's most ideal circumstances, redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht gets and stays healthy, new offensive and defensive coordinators quickly mesh with their units, and the Nittany Lions' opponents prove as manageable as expected. With so many unknowns, I'm predicting unpredictability. An upset win and a stun- ning loss both seem eminently possible, ultimately leading to the same finish line — even if the details and path to get there are winding. Prediction: 9-3 THOMAS FRANK CARR | FOOTBALL ANALYST Penn State should win 10 games, right? That's the growing consensus about the Nit- tany Lions under first-year head coach Matt Campbell and his new staff. They did a good job blending two rosters together and then targeting key players in the wider transfer portal. My biggest concern is about games against mentally tough, but traditionally less talented opponents. Northwestern can be a tough out on the road. Minnesota and Penn State may play the slowest, shortest game we've ever seen if P.J. Fleck has his way. While fans look to the marquee games against Michigan and USC as the season's pivotal points, these are the games that give me pause. Campbell and his staff have built a tough, Big Ten-ready roster that may be light on star power but has the potential to grow into a great team. But if the Lions get into a grind-it-out affair, does the ball bounce their way? That could be the difference between a playoff spot and not. As always, I'm an optimist, so I see the good in this roster and its potential. Prediction: 10-2 SEAN FITZ | WEBSITE PUBLISHER The light schedule talk is warranted, but at the end of the day in college football, there's no telling which team is going to make a sud- den rise. Penn State will be favored in the overwhelming majority of its games, but after last year, it's clear that games are not played on paper. The new-look Nittany Lions have a lot of experience, though most of that comes from the Big 12. I'm excited to watch a bona fide college quarterback like Rocco Becht, which should be a change from what we've seen with Drew Allar the past few years. A reset would be welcomed in Happy Valley. Hope- fully, for Matt Campbell's sake, his first im- pression is a good one. Prediction: 9-3 MATT HERB | MAGAZINE EDITOR The last time he faced a Big Ten opponent, in September 2025, Rocco Becht orches- trated a 13-play drive that yielded the decisive field goal late in the fourth quarter of a 16-13 win over Iowa. It was a typical Becht performance, and he will be called on to produce more of the same now that he's at Penn State and the schedule is about to What They're Saying About Penn State… "If things go well for Penn State, they could be favored in as many as 10 games, and teams buy in quickest when HCs have success early. Campbell should have a great 1st season." — Phil Steele's '26 College Football Preview "Penn State has starting experience at almost every position, but how the pieces fit to- gether will determine a lot. This is a great year for the conference schedule to miss Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon." — Lindy's Sports College Football "Campbell is rebuilding Penn State for long-term viability. A College Football Playoff bid, while possible, would be overachieving this year." — Athlon Sports College Football "A two-game stretch against USC (Oct. 10) … and a road trip to Michigan (Oct. 17) should indicate whether Penn State can be a true College Football Playoff contender before a road trip to Washington (Nov. 7). — The Sporting News Picking Penn State's 2026 Regular-Season Record PSU will look to improve on last year's 7-6 finish when it takes the field for its first campaign under Matt Campbell. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS