A Penn State football White Out vs USC? 2026 Big Ten schedule set

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A Penn State football White Out vs USC? 2026 Big Ten schedule set

Penn State football fans finally learned the date of their marquee home game for the 2026 season, as well as the rest of their Big Ten schedule.

The Nittany Lions, with new head coach Matt Campbell and an overhauled roster, will play the USC Trojans in Beaver Stadium on Oct. 10 — which may well end up as their prime time White Out game.

Penn State also learned the dates for the rest of its league schedule during Tuesday evening’s release on the Big Ten Network.

The Lions will play these games in Beaver Stadium this fall: Wisconsin (Sept. 26), USC (Oct. 10), Purdue (Oct. 31), Minnesota (Nov. 14) and Rutgers (Nov. 21).

They will play these Big Ten games on the road: at Northwestern (Oct. 3), Michigan (Oct. 17), Washington (Nov. 7) and Maryland (Nov. 28).

Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Audavion Collins (2) celebrates after recovering a fumble on a kickoff return during the second quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Lions already had their three season-opening, non-conference games locked in: at home against Marshall (Sept. 5), on the road vs. Temple (Sept. 12, Lincoln Financial Field) and at home against Buffalo (Sept. 19).

(Time and TV details for all of Penn State’s 2026 games will come out later this year).

No doubt, the schedule lacks overall star appeal and Top 25 power: The Lions won’t play College Football Playoff regulars Ohio State and Oregon and national champion Indiana.

This marks the first time Penn State will not play the Buckeyes since joining the Big Ten in 1993.

This pedestrian schedule, at least by Big Ten standards, may allow Campbell and his rebuilt team a better shot at stabilizing quickly and even making their own run at a playoff bid in 2026. The Lions, of course, recently acquired and lost nearly 90 players, combined, via the NCAA transfer portal.

At least the USC game should be a show. The Trojans (9-4 last season) will play in Beaver Stadium for the first time since Penn State’s undefeated 1994 season.

2026 Penn State football schedule

  • Sept. 5: MARSHALL
  • Sept. 12: at Temple (Lincoln Financial Field)
  • Sept. 19: BUFFALO
  • Sept. 26: WISCONSIN
  • Oct. 3: at Northwestern
  • Oct. 10: USC
  • Oct. 17: at Michigan
  • Oct. 24: OPEN
  • Oct. 31: PURDUE
  • Nov. 7: at Washington
  • Nov. 14: MINNESOTA
  • Nov. 21: RUTGERS
  • Nov. 28: at Maryland
  • Dec. 5: Big Ten Championship Game (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis)

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: 2026 Big Ten schedule set for Penn State football, Matt Campbell

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