Penn State football changes 2026 schedule to play at Northwestern

Penn State football will help christen a newly-built Big Ten football stadium this fall — and is changing its 2026 schedule to do it

The Nittany Lions and new head coach Matt Campbell will now play the first game at Northwestern’s new Ryan Field on Oct. 2 in Evanston, Illinois.

The game will now be on a Friday night. It was announced for Saturday, Oct. 3 as part of the league’s schedule release just last week. (Kickoff time and broadcast details to be announced at a later date).

The game has been moved a day earlier as a nod to history: October 2 marks the 100th anniversary of the university’s first football game on the site.

Penn State, of course, is in the midst of its own stadium makeover. Like most programs, it chose to renovate, with its $700 million project expected to be completed before the 2027 football season.

Northwestern, though, did a rebuild on the site of its previous stadium. The new Ryan Field, which will seat 35,000 fans, has been under construction since 2024. The privately-funded project will cost $862 million.

Northwestern will play its first two home games of the 2026 season at its temporary, two-year home, called Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Its new stadium construction is scheduled to be completed by mid-September, according to a university news release.

This will be Penn State’s first Friday night game since 2023, when it shut out Michigan State, 42-0, on Black Friday at Ford Field in Detroit. The Northwestern game will be the Lions’ second Big Ten matchup of the season and fifth game, overall.

It’s part of what may be the most navigable schedule, so to speak, in the league. The Lions, in Campbell’s first season, will not play Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana — all College Football Playoff teams this past season.

Penn State and Northwestern will play a year after their memorable 2025 affair in Beaver Stadium. The Wildcats upset PSU, 22-21, for its third straight defeat. The next day, head coach James Franklin was fired.

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: Penn State football changes 2026 schedule, debuts Northwestern stadium