Penn State Still Having Trouble Emerging From Joe Paterno's Shadow

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The Penn State Nittany Lions will enter the fall with its fourth different full-time head coach since 1966. 

New head coach Matt Campbell was hired to bring PSU back into the national championship conversation. James Franklin brought the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2024, but lost to Notre Dame by three points in the Orange Bowl. 

PSU brought back several key starters from the 2024 team to run it back last season, but a 3-3 start to the campaign knocked the program out of the CFP conversation before October was even over and ended the tenure of Franklin.

Penn State wants to get back to the program it had under legendary head coach Joe Paterno, who won two national titles and three Big Ten championships. He went 409–136–3 during his 46 seasons with the program.

Paul Meyerberg of USA Today ranked Penn State as the No. 5 best Big Ten football program behind Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, and Michigan. He noted PSU has made positive momentum in recent seasons, but still has more to do to get out of Paterno's shadow.

"The program was in crisis after NCAA sanctions related to the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Bill O'Brien set the foundation, and James Franklin did the heavy lifting to get the Nittany Lions back into the elite of college football," he wrote. 

"After failing to land a title under Franklin, Penn State will reset under Matt Campbell. A heavy influx of Iowa State transfers will make Penn State difficult to predict heading into 2026, though a friendly schedule could yield around seven to nine wins."

Franklin won a Big Ten championship at Penn State in 2016, the only time the team has won without Paterno on the sideline.

Campbell won't have the roster to immediately contend for the Big Ten championship this season. Frankly, the 24 transfers from Big 12 program Iowa State should keep the Nittany Lions in the territory of making a bowl game, but the CFP is out of reach for a team that has many playing Big Ten football for the first time.

Maybe Campbell can eventually make PSU a title contender, but it'll be a while before the Nittany Lions are thought of as one of the Big Ten's best.

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