The Penn State Nittany Lions are seemingly a squad that needs to be luckier than they are good during the 2026 season. Penn State's own strengths and abilities aren't what'll lead to any high stature in the Big Ten this fall. No, it'd be the absence of elite opponents on their schedule.
CBS Sports' Brad Crawford claimed the best thing about the Nittany Lions in 2026 is that they don't play the Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, and Indiana Hoosiers. Crawford called Penn State this season under Matt Campbell "Iowa State Part II," noting that the Cyclones went 5-4 in the Big 12 in 2025.
"With a top-10 transfer portal class, Penn State expects immediate improvement under Campbell. Given the favorable schedule, the Nittany Lions may be closer to Big Ten dark horse status than a team fighting for bowl eligibility late in the season," Crawford wrote.
Crawford claimed that the matchups that'd define the Nittany Lions' 2026 are against the USC Trojans, Washington Huskies, and TTUN. The USC matchup will be in the friendly confines of Happy Valley, while the others are in Seattle and Ann Arbor.
Dodging the Ducks' Dante Moore and the Hoosiers' Josh Hoover is a major victory. Many expect Oregon to be among the top teams in the country, and Curt Cignetti can't be written off after his first two years at Indiana, leading the program to the CFP and a title for the first time in program history in consecutive years.
Needless to say, true top dogs in a Power 4 conference aren't conditional top dogs based on the schedule. That definitely doesn't fly in Columbus, where OSU is expected to have one of the toughest schedules in the country, one that will include the Ducks and Hoosiers. The Buckeyes will also face the Trojans and Wolverines.
Penn State was supposed to have Jim Knowles at DC. Nittany Lions will have 1 former Buckeye in 2026, though.
Jim Knowles was supposed to be heading into his second year with James Franklin in 2026, but life happens. Franklin was fired midseason and is now coaching the Virginia Tech Hokies. Knowles didn't make the cut in State College, PA, when Campbell reshaped his coaching staff this offseason.
It's telling that no Buckeyes followed Knowles to the Nittany Lions from the defense. The Ohio State brand was more persuasive, and Matt Patricia's arrival made it even more logical for the Buckeyes' top defenders to stay put. Knowles' schemes were notoriously tricky, though the Tennessee Volunteers seem to be happy with what they're getting after hiring him this offseason.
While Knowles won't be in Happy Valley, James Peoples will be. The running back is expected to make a major impact for Penn State this season after never getting a true chance to shine in CBus. Campbell is adaptable as a playcaller, so we'll see if that means a featured role for Peoples in an offense run by Iowa State transfer quarterback Rocco Becht.
There won't be much Scarlet and Gray in enemy territory in the Keystone State, though there will be more than how many former Nittany Lions will be in Central Ohio in 2026 (zero). Knowles is gone, but Peoples could be more positively transformational.
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