The Opportunities and Lurking Dangers of Penn State's 2026 Football Schedule

The Nittany Lions face a unique schedule under first-year coach Matt Campbell.

Fireworks are seen over an announced crowd of 111,015 during the 2025 White Out game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State will play football at Beaver Stadium this fall under a new regime for the first time since 2013. And it’ll do so with a relatively favorable schedule. The slate features no teams that made the 2025 College Football Playoff and none that even reached the benchmark of double-digit wins. 

We gave the schedule a thorough look to find the opportunities, stressors and storylines of Matt Campbell’s first season as the Nittany Lions' head coach.  

Most interesting storyline: D’Anton Lynn faces USC 

USC Trojans defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn reacts against the Utah State Aggies during the fourth quarter. | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn going head-to-head with his former team is good enough for the best storyline of the 2026 season. Add that the Penn State-USC game Oct.10 will be the White Out game, and that narrative gets more interesting. 

The Nittany Lions’ new coordinator spent two seasons with USC in the same position before moving to Happy Valley in January. He’s not the only person battling his former program in this game; former Penn State defensive end Zuriah Fisher transferred to the Trojans in the offseason.

The home game against the Trojans will also be Penn State’s first true test under Campbell. The team's first five games include Marshall, Temple, Buffalo, Wisconsin and Northwestern, which should be a manageable stretch (save for a potential trap game). USC was ranked at No. 20 in ESPN’s post-spring top 25 and might end up as the highest-ranked team Penn State plays next season.

Biggest test: at Washington

A general view of Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium before a game between the Stanford Cardinal and Washington Huskies. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Huskies, No. 17 in ESPN’s top-25 rankings, have been essentially unbeatable at home lately. Washington is 25-2 at Husky Stadium over the last four years, going undefeated at home from 2022-24.

The Nittany Lions have to travel to Washington on Nov. 7 at the tail end of their toughest four-game stretch, so it could be a make-or-break contest for their chances to make the College Football Playoff. 

The Huskies return starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr. following an interesting offseason saga between himself, Washington and LSU. They did, however, lose leading rusher Jonah Coleman and top receiver Denzel Boston to the NFL.

The most to gain from a win for Campbell: at Michigan

A general view during the Michigan Wolverines spring game at Michigan Stadium. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Just one week after hosting USC, Penn State visits Ann Arbor to face Michigan. A victory over the Wolverines would demonstrate that Campbell and the Nittany Lions truly are turning the page. 

Michigan and Ohio State were James Franklin’s two most stressful destinations. The Nittany Lions have won just once at Michigan Stadium since 2010, and that was during the 2020 COVID season. The Nittany Lions were just 3-8 against the Wolverines under Franklin, having lost their last three games, and 1-4 at The Big House.  

Michigan is starting over as well under new coach Kyle Whittingham, so the game is a litmus test for both programs. Still, a win against Michigan on the road would be a turning-point moment for Campbell and the Nittany Lions.  

Potential trap game: at Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State fell at home to Northwestern just a year ago, and it wasn’t a fun game. The Nittany Lions struggled on both sides of the ball in a 22-21 loss that was Franklin’s last game at Penn State.  

After a difficult 4-8 season in 2024, head coach David Braun steered the program in a better direction last year, when the Wildcats went 7-6. His 19 wins are tied with Pat Fitzgerald for the most in school history through a coach's first three seasons. 

Northwestern has two new offensive coaches who could test Penn State. Braun hired Chip Kelly as his offensive coordinator and Jerry Neuheisel as his quarterbacks coach. Penn State fans remember Neuheisel as the UCLA interim offensive coordinator whose run-the-quarterback strategy stunned the Nittany Lions at the Rose Bowl last year.

Further, Northwestern will host Penn State in a Friday-night debut of the new Ryan Field, one of college football’s most intriguing stadium stories. Northwestern tore down the former Ryan Field and built an $870 million stadium entirely with private money.

So, is it a playoff schedule?

An announced crowd of 111,015 cheers on the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2025 White Out vs. the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium. | James Lang-Imagn Images

Absolutely. Penn State should be favored in at least nine of 12 regular-season games. And talent-wise, the Nittany Lions are in the same weight class as Michigan, Washington and USC. 

A 10-2 record would get any Big Ten team, let alone Penn State, into the College Football Playoff. So if the Nittany Lions win the games they’re supposed to and take one of their three toughest matchups, they’ll make the playoffs. 

The schedule is about as friendly as it could get for Penn State, especially in the first season of a new coaching staff. In Year 1 under Campbell, the Nittany Lions should be poised to make their second playoff appearance in three seasons. 

Penn State's 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. 3	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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