Penn State 2026 football schedule: Who will Nittany Lions face?

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It is not typical for the Big Ten to hold off so long on releasing its football conference schedule for the next season, but the wait for the 2026 schedule to be unveiled is nearly over. Maybe the conference was holding off until knowing how the College Football Playoff played out, with the idea of generating some more enthusiasm for certain matchups, or maybe there were other reasons for the delay. But the Big Ten has announced it will reveal the full conference schedule for the 2026 season on Tuesday, January 27.

The Big Ten did reveal one significant matchup, however. Newly crowned national champion Indiana will host Ohio State in a Big Ten championship game rematch on October 17. The meeting will, of course, be a clash of the two most recent national champions in college football.

While we do not have the dates in front of us just yet, we do know which schools will be on Penn State’s Big Ten schedule based on previous releases from the Big Ten with regard to the football schedules following the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. So what do we know about Penn State’s 2026 schedule right now?

Penn State’s non-conference schedule for 2026

  • Marshall, at Temple, Buffalo

Let’s start with the games we know for sure are locked in. While schedules are always subject to change, it does appear Penn State is settled in with its non-conference portion of the schedule to start the season. Penn State will host Marshall in Week 1 of the season on September 5 in Beaver Stadium. Penn State is 2-0 all-time against the Thundering Herd, but the two schools have not played each other since 1930.

Penn State will be on the road in Week 2 to face Temple in Philadelphia on September 12 in Lincoln Financial Field. In what should be a bit of a home-away-from-home game for the Nittany Lions, it is worth remembering that Penn State lost its last game played in Philly in 2015. But consider Penn State a solid road favorite this far out this season. Penn State did win the most recent meeting with the Owls in 2016. Penn State is 40-4-1 all-time against Temple.

Penn State wraps up non-conference play with a home game against Buffalo on September 19. Penn State has won the three most recent meetings with the Bulls (2007, 2015, and 2019), all of which have been played at home. Buffalo’s only win against Penn State came in 1900 in Buffalo, New York.

Penn State’s home Big Ten games in 2026

  • Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, USC, Wisconsin

The exact dates are unknown but we do know which Big Ten teams will be making trips to Happy Valley this fall. The highlight will be USC making a visit to Beaver Stadium for the first time since 1994. Penn State faced USC in Big Ten play for the first time in 2024 and did not face the Trojans last fall. Penn State has played USC on the East Coast twice since 1994 with two meetings in the old Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 1996 and 2000.

Other Big Ten teams making the trip to Beaver Stadium this fall will be Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wisconsin. As far as home schedules are concerned, this seems like a pretty solid home schedule as far as win probability may be concerned.

This will be a season where Penn State gets the extra fifth Big Ten game played at home.

Penn State’s road Big Ten games in 2026

  • Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, Washington

Penn State will make two challenging road trips in 2026. One will be to Michigan, which has not been a pleasant destination for the Nittany Lions over the years. Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State has won just four times in Michigan Stadium, including wins early on in 1994 and 1996. Penn State’s last win at Michigan came during the 2020 season. Michigan has also won three straight meetings in the series, and both programs will have new head coaches this season with Matt Campbell at Penn State and Kyle Whittingham at Michigan.

Penn State’s West Coast trip this season will take them into the Pacific Northwest to face the Washington Huskies. This will be Penn State’s first trip to Seattle since 1921, and this will be the second meeting between the two schools as Big Ten opponents. Penn State won the first Big Ten meeting in 2024 at home. Penn State is 4-0 all-time against Washington.

Penn State will also play road games at Northwestern and Maryland. You might say the Northwestern game is a bit of a revenge situation for the Nittany Lions, but this year’s Penn State team will be drastically different from the team that lost at home to the Wildcats last fall. The Maryland game may be likely to be played at the end of the regular season, and could be another potential home-away-from-home environment for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has outscored Maryland 207-32 in the last four games played on Maryland’s campus in College Park, Maryland dating back to 2017.

No College Football Playoff teams from 2025 on the schedule

By now, you probably noticed the teams missing from Penn State’s 2026 schedule. Three notable teams absent from Penn State’s 2026 schedule are the three teams from the Big Ten that were in this past season’s College Football Playoff; Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon.

For the first time since joining the Big Ten, Penn State will not face Ohio State in conference play. Prior to this season, Ohio State was the only Big Ten school that Penn State had played every season since joining the Big Ten in 1993. This is happening in part because of how the Big Ten is rotating conference schedules around while protecting certain rivalries. Ohio State has a protected rivalry with Michigan, but Penn State is the only Big Ten team without a guaranteed rivalry game every season. That gives more scheduling flexibility for Penn State and the Big Ten, but it comes with a cost of not having any team every season guaranteed. Ohio State is due back on Penn State’s schedule in 2028.

Penn State will also have to wait a year to see Indiana or Oregon again. Penn State lost to both the Hoosiers and Ducks last season, bookending Penn State’s rough program-altering six-game losing streak, and will see both teams on the schedule again in 2027. Penn State will play on the road against both teams in 2027, barring any scheduling changes from the Big Ten.

2026 Penn State football schedule

To recap, here is what the current Penn State football schedule looks like. We will have an updated schedule to share once it becomes available.

  • September 5 – vs. Marshall
  • September 12 – at Temple
  • September 19 – vs. Buffalo
  • Big Ten home games: Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, USC, Wisconsin
  • Big Ten road games: Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, Washington

Looking ahead to Penn State’s 2027 schedule

Earlier this week, it was reported Penn State has made a change to its non-conference schedule in 2027. A game previously scheduled against Delaware has now been replaced with a home game against Maine. Delaware was previously scheduled when it was an FCS opponent, but the Blue Hens have moved up to join Conference USA and announced a game at Illinois for the same date as the previously scheduled game at Penn State. Penn State and Delaware worked together to arrange for Penn State to host Maine instead.

Penn State will open the 2027 season at home against Syracuse in the first game in a home-and-home series that continues in 2028. Penn State will follow that up with home games against Maine and Temple the following two weeks. Penn State’s Big Ten home games will be played against Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, and Washington. The Nittany Lions are slated to play on the road in Big Ten play against Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What to know about Penn State’s schedule before full Big Ten release

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