‘A Heck of a Coach,’ — Lincoln Riley Praises Matt Campbell as Pat McAfee Picks Unranked Penn State Over USC

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Pat McAfee stood alone on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday, the only picker to take unranked Penn State over No. 19 USC in that night’s White Out at Beaver Stadium.

Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, and guest picker Bryce Young all went with the Trojans. Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter sides with the majority and gives USC a 63.1% chance to win.

Pat McAfee Backs Penn State as Nittany Lions Head Coach Receivers Lincoln Riley Praise

In a week where USC’s Lincoln Riley hailed Matt Campbell as “a heck of a coach,” the Nittany Lions received some more national backing ahead of their Week 6 clash with the Trojans.

McAfee wasn’t afraid to stand out as the lone wolf on College GameDay this week, the only analyst to select the Georgia Bulldogs to take down the Alabama Crimson Tide. While PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter sided with the controversial analyst in that one, the Penn State prediction was something else.

However, McAfee believes the White Out will help boost Penn State to a win. Not even Penn State fans were in agreement, with one pointing out that the rest of the GameDay pickers “all smartly went USC.”

McAfee’s pick leans on a tradition with a long track record. Saturday’s game is Penn State’s 19th full-stadium White Out, and the Nittany Lions are 11-7 in them, winning six straight before a 30-24 double-overtime loss to Oregon in 2025.

BUILD THE CFP FIELD:PFN’s Free CFB Playoff Predictor

Audrey Snyder, who writes about Penn State football, reported Friday on the ticket count, citing a Penn State spokesperson. “PSU has over 110K tickets out for the White Out vs. USC. That’s the most tickets out in the history of PSU football.”

It is also the first time Penn State has entered a White Out unranked since 2016, when it upset No. 2 Ohio State, according to the Centre Daily Times.

Penn State Favored Over USC Despite Back-to-Back Losses

PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Penn State a 36.9% chance to win after two straight Big Ten losses.

Penn State let a 17-0 lead slip in a 24-20 home loss to Wisconsin on Sept. 26, falling on Colton Joseph’s 72-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Harris with just over a minute left. Northwestern then ran for 413 yards in a 34-13 win over the Nittany Lions on Oct. 2.

Quarterback Rocco Becht threw two interceptions at Northwestern. His PFN Impact grade of 78.1 this season ranks 61st of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.

Penn State coach Matt Campbell said his team has yet to establish an identity. He said he wants to give players, coaches, and the community something to be proud of, and that “we’re not there yet.”

USC is 5-1 and 2-1 in the Big Ten. The Trojans lost 41-27 at home to Oregon on Sept. 26, then got a 48-yard fumble-return touchdown from Jahkeem Stewart in a 25-21 win over Washington on Oct. 3.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 245 yards and a touchdown against the Huskies. His PFN Impact grade of 83.6 this season ranks 28th of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.

While everything points to the Trojans taking the win on Saturday afternoon, McAfee’s stance that the Nittany Lions could drive a dagger into USC hearts is backed by the oddsmakers, who make Penn State a favorite in the Big Ten clash.

One fan was caught off guard by the line. “Wait, Penn State is favored against USC? Am I reading that right?”

Another fan wrote that Penn State is unranked and coming off back-to-back losses yet still favored against No. 19 USC. “You can laugh at the Nittany Lions all you want, but the oddsmakers clearly aren’t.”

The game is the first meeting between the programs in Happy Valley since Penn State won 38-14 in 1994. The Nittany Lions won the last meeting 33-30 in overtime at USC in 2024 but trail the all-time series 6-5.

PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives USC a 10.4% chance to make the playoff, rising to 14.4% with a win and falling to 3.5% with a loss. PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Penn State under a 0.1% chance to make the playoff.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos