Looking ahead to Penn State 2026 football schedule

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

Looking ahead to Penn State 2026 football schedule

Penn State closed the books on a roller coaster 2025 season with a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl and will now look ahead to 2026. The new year brings a new head coach into the program and a bit of a clean slate for the program as it hits a soft reset. Unfortunately, the Big Ten has not ironed out the specific dates for its conference schedule in 2026, but we do have at least an idea of what challenges will await Penn State in the 2026 schedule.

Here is what to know about Penn State's 2026 football schedule as it stands right now.

September non-conference games locked in

Nov 8, 2025; West Point, New York, USA; Temple Owls running back Keveun Mason (26) runs the ball against the Army Black Knights during the first half at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images

  • September 5, 2026 – vs. Marshall
  • September 12, 2026 – at Temple
  • September 19, 2026 – vs. Buffalo

Penn State's three non-conference games are locked into the first three weeks of September. That much we know for sure, barring any unforeseen alterations to the schedule. Penn State will play two of those games at home against Marshall (to open the season) and Buffalo, likely leading into Big Ten play the following week.

Penn State will also play Temple on the road in Philadelphia in Week 2. Penn State's last visit to Philadelphia came in 2015 and resulted in a 27-10 loss to the Owls. It was Penn State's first loss to Temple since 1941.

No College Football Playoff teams on 2026 schedule

Nov 8, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions safety King Mack (16) intercepts the ball during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

For the first time since joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State will not play Ohio State. Ohio State is the only team Penn State has played every year as a Big Ten member, but conference expansion led to this stability with the schedule.

In addition to missing Ohio State on the schedule, Penn State will also avoid having to play the Big Ten's two other College Football Playoff teams from the past two years, Indiana and Oregon.

Big Ten home games

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren (44) is stopped by USC Trojans safety Kamari Ramsey (7) after a short gain in the second half at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

While the dates for the Big Ten games in 2026 have yet to be announced, we do know which teams will be traveling to Beaver Stadium next fall. The home schedule appears to be pretty favorable for the Nittany Lions and is highlighted by a visit from USC. This will be USC's first trip to Penn State since 1994. Penn State won home games against the Trojans in back-to-back seasons in 1994 and 1993.

Wisconsin, Rutgers, Purdue, and Minnesota are the other Big Ten teams coming to Happy Valley in 2026. The Minnesota game will see Penn State attempt to retain ownership of the Governor's Victory Bell after winning the previous two meetings, including a 45-17 win at home in 2022 and the thrilling 2024 road win.

Big Ten road games

Michigan players huddle before kickoff against Texas at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

Penn State's road schedule in Big Ten play should be tougher than the home slate. Penn State's West Coast trip will see the Nittany Lions travel to Washington for the first time since 1921. The hope is that this trip has a bye week paired with it, but that remains to be seen.

Penn State will also travel to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines, now coached by Kyle Whittingham. Penn State has not won in Michigan Stadium since 2020, and Michigan has won three striaght games in the series. Penn State is 4-9 all-time in road games against Michigan.

Penn State's other Big Ten road games will come against Northwestern and Maryland.

Way-too-early win expectations?

Dec 8, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Matt Campbell answers questions from the media after being announced as the Penn State Nittany Lions new head coach during a press conference at the Beaver Stadium Press Room. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The 2026 season will be interesting for Penn State as the roster will have a much different look from what we saw at the beginning of the 2025 season. Matt Campbell is coming in with a good amount of work to do and will be challenged with getting Penn State back into the College Football Playoff hunt in relatively short order. And with the schedule in front of them, it would seem as though Penn State has a decent chance to bounce back relatively quickly if things can come together on the field.

Games against Michigan, USC, and Washington figure to be the toughest matchups on the schedule, but a 10-2 record may not be entirely out of the question. It could end up being the ceiling for Penn State, and it may not be enough to justify a spot in a playoff field under the current format, but there are too many unknown variables to speculate much more right now.

For now, we await the Big Ten to officially unveil the conference schedule so we know how these games will line up.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Looking ahead to Penn State 2026 football schedule

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