5 Predictions for Penn State Football Kickoff Times in 2026

Penn State's 2026 football schedule should get some more clarity this week, as the Big Ten and its partner broadcast networks are expected to announce kickoff times for a slate of games. The Nittany Lions already know that they will play Northwestern in a prime-time Friday game this season, but the remainder of the schedule is unknown.

Penn State football fans won't get kickoff times for every game, as the conference holds back much of its inventory for the 12-day announcement window in season. Last year, Penn State announced kickoff times for four games in late May. But the non-conference schedule should be unveiled, along with a targeted Big Ten game or two, led by the White Out.

So what to expect from this week's broadcast announcements? We're making five predictions for the Nittany Lions.

The White Out will be announced this week

Penn State football fans cheer on the Nittany Lions against the Oregon Ducks at the 2025 White Out game at Beaver Stadium. | James Lang-Imagn Images

Penn State likes to schedule the White Out as early as possible, particularly after the 2024 game vs. Washington wasn't announced until July. The Penn State-Oregon White Out was announced in late May last year, and we'll get the 2026 White Out date this week.

And that date should be the Oct. 10 game against USC at Beaver Stadium. Everything should be pretty well set for a Penn State-USC White Out, particularly after NBC announced its Notre Dame broadcast schedule. The Fighting Irish will play three prime-time games on NBC, but their Oct. 10 game vs. Stanford is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

That primes the way for a Penn State-USC White Out. The Trojans are making their first trip to Beaver Stadium sinced 1994 and present the marquee opponent of Penn State's home schedule. This is the obvious White Out date on Penn State's home schedule, so there's no need for the Big Ten, NBC and FOX to overthink this. See you on NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night.

Penn State gets a noon start to the season

The Penn State Nittany Lions run onto the field at Beaver Stadium for their 2025 opener against Nevada. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State got a season-opening 3:30 p.m. network (CBS) kickoff last season as the nation's second-ranked team with serious College Football Playoff aspirations. It's different this year, as Penn State begins the season with a new staff, overhauled roster and likely ranking from 15-20.

The Big Ten's first Saturday of games is pretty tame, with the marquee non-conference game (Wisconsin-Notre Dame) scheduled for Sunday. Though Penn State's opener vs. Marshall could sneak onto a network, expect instead to see it at noon on a FOX secondary platform (BTN, FS1).

Penn State will play a regular-season game on ESPN

Temple Owls fans cheer during a game vs. the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lincoln Financial Field in 2015. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Nittany Lions return to Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 12 to face the Temple Owls. Penn State fans still might not be over the last game there. Temple sacked quarterback Christian Hackenberg 10 times in front of a sold-out crowd, as Matt Rhule got a 27-10 win over second-year Penn State coach James Franklin.

The game will mark another return for Penn State — to ESPN for a regular-season game. Since ESPN has the broadcast rights to the American Athletic Conference, Penn State will appear on an ESPN network in the regular season for the first time since 2022. In fact, Penn State's last ESPN regular-season appearance on ESPN was against Northwestern on Oct. 1, 2022.

The 2015 Penn State-Temple game kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET. This one, however, likely will get a noon start on ESPN2.

No Big Noon for Penn State-Michigan

Michigan Wolverines fans cheer after their team's 24-15 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2023. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oct. 17 is a big day in the Big Ten. Ohio State visits Indiana, and Penn State visits Michigan for two of the conference's marquee matchups of the season. That Ohio State-Indiana game appears divined for FOX's Big Noon Kickoff, leaving Penn State-Michigan primed for a 3:30 p.m. start on CBS.

The Penn State-Michigan kickoff time might be announced this week if the networks have sealed those decisions. But could Penn State-Michigan turn into a night game? It's possible, though the Wolverines host Indiana the following week for another potential prime-time kick.

There will be a surprising Big Noon candidate

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell looks on from the field during the Blue-White practice at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Certainly not at Washington, where the Nittany Lions play on Nov. 7, but the schedule does have two dates to watch as potential Big Noon contenders. The Penn State-Wisconsin game could sneak into the conversation on Sept. 26, though Illinois-Ohio State is a strong competitor.

And late in the season, Penn State has a Nov. 14 game against Minnesota that could swing wildly between a noon start or a prime-time game on, say, Peacock. But we're predicting that Penn State-Minnesota lands on Big Noon.

Penn State 2026 football schedule

Date	Opponent	Location
Sept. 5	MARSHALL	Beaver Stadium
Sept. 12	Temple	Lincoln Financial Field
Sept. 19	BUFFALO	Beaver Stadium
Sept. 26	WISCONSIN	Beaver Stadium
Oct. 2	at Northwestern	Ryan Field
Oct. 10	USC	Beaver Stadium
Oct. 17	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium
Oct. 24	BYE
Oct. 31	PURDUE	Beaver Stadium
Nov. 7	at Washington	Husky Stadium
Nov. 14	MINNESOTA	Beaver Stadium
Nov. 21	RUTGERS	Beaver Stadium
Nov. 28	at Maryland	SECU Stadium

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