Penn State football is going to be one of the more fascinating teams to pay attention to in the 2026 season. New head coach Mat Campbell brings a level of respect to the program but predicting just what kind of success Penn State will have in the win column is anyone’s guess. tate could be anywhere form a middle of the pack Big Ten team to a potential College Football Playoff team, with an outside chance at playing for the Big Ten championship if things really fall in Penn State’s favor.
CBS Sports recently ranked Penn State at No. 22 in its way-too-early rankings for next season, but a recent bold prediction suggests that may be optimistic. In a compilation of bold predictions for the 2026 season, a CBS Sports writer is calling for a 7-5 record for the Nittany Lions next fall.
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“Penn State messed around and actually landed on a great hire in Matt Campbell, but expectations may be too high for 2026 despite a schedule that is more than gettable,” Cody Nagel says for CBS Sports. “Although Campbell is bringing 23 Iowa State transfers with him, the roster turnover is still real and adjusting to the Big Ten could take some time.”
Penn State’s schedule is seemingly manageable for Penn State at the perfect time. This year’s schedule does not include any of the three Big Ten teams that were in the College Football Playoff the past two seasons (Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon), and Penn State gets USC at home this season. The Nittany Lions do have to make road trips to Michigan and Washington, as well as be the first opponent to play in Northwestern’s brand new Ryan Field on a Friday night.
Penn State’s roster has been completely reworked this offseason with a wild amount of transfer portal activity with players leaving, many following James Franklin to Virginia Tech, and Campbell bringing in a good portion of his roster from Iowa State, including quarterback Rocco Becht.
With so many changes in place, it may be difficult to accurately forecast Penn State’s 2026 season in mid-February. Predicting a 7-5 regular season still feels pessimistic, which would qualify as a bold prediction.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: CBS Sports makes bold prediction for Penn State football in 2026
