“We should play Penn State or Pitt every year”: Keeler eyes regional future for Temple

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The anticipation for a Temple football season has never been greater throughout the 2020s decade. The Owls are fresh off their winningest campaign since 2019 after head coach K.C. Keeler guided them to a 5-7 finish in his first season. Temple also retained nine starters without losing a single starter to the transfer portal, promoting continuity in an otherwise transient American Conference.

Another reason for palpable buzz is the renewal of an old rivalry after a decade-long hiatus. For the first time since 2016, Temple will square off against Penn State. And for the first time since 2015, Temple will host Penn State at Lincoln Financial Field.

The in-state rivals, located roughly 190 miles apart, met on a near-annual basis from 1975-97, playing 21 times in a 23-year span. The series then resumed in the 21st century as they battled 10 out of 11 years from 2006-16. Penn State leads the all-time series 40-4-1, but Temple’s commanding 27-10 victory in its most recent home matchup remains a signature moment in program history.

Regardless of the result, Keeler wants this matchup as a fixture on the schedule.

“We should play Penn State or Pitt every year,” Keeler said. “Playing Oklahoma last year meant nothing to the program. And I told our administration, we’ve got to play regional games. Got to play Maryland. Got to play Penn State. Got to play Pitt. Got to play Syracuse. Got to play Rutgers.”

Temple is no stranger to hosting marquee opponents. In 2025, the Owls welcomed Oklahoma to the City of Brotherly Love. In 2023, Miami (FL) made the trek up north to Lincoln Financial Field. Keeler enjoys the opportunity to host games of this nature but prefers they be against opponents within the state or region.

“If you’re gonna take a ‘power four’ team, why play Oklahoma? Why play Georgia Tech?” Keeler said. “We don’t need those guys. We need games in the region, and a lot of that is because we all recruit the same kids. We’re not going to beat Rutgers on a kid. We’re not gonna beat Syracuse on a kid. What we’re gonna do is we’re gonna make them have to make a decision earlier because of how hard we’re recruiting those guys. That’s been my mantra. Let’s get back to regional scheduling. Let’s play Delaware. Let’s play James Madison. Let’s play Connecticut. Play Massachusetts, Old Dominion. Those are the kind of games we should have on our schedule, and we’re working towards that end right now.”

Keeler envisions a more regional future for Temple football, but he worries a regional emphasis won’t be the direction college football chooses as the 2020s wind to a close.

“I’m afraid in 2030 when there’s a lot of change in terms of conference contracts and media rights that you’re gonna see a whole lot of stuff going on,” Keeler said. “It could become two power conferences. It could be ESPN vs. FOX, or the SEC vs. the Big Ten. There’s a lot out there.”

The veteran head coach believes College Football Playoff expansion is one measure the sport could take to prevent superconferences and return to its regional roots. In his view, giving all 138 FBS programs a legitimate chance at a championship is the best way to keep college football intact.

“With the addition of adding more teams from the playoffs — getting two teams in from this conference or two teams in from this level, the ‘G-6,’ I think would be very powerful,” Keeler said. “I think it would be very good for college football. I just don’t know if that’s the way things are going to go.”

Temple has never challenged for the College Football Playoff, and over six seasons have passed since the Owls last qualified for bowl eligibility. Keeler knows promoting regional rivlaries are one way to mobilize the fanbase, and he understands winning must go along with it. He regularly reflects on photographs and murals of a full-capacity Lincoln Financial Field, which Temple attained twice during its 10-win season in 2015.

“I walk in that building and facility every day, and the first thing I see is the GameDay set of us playing Notre Dame,” Keeler said. “The second thing I see is the huge mural of us beating Penn State at The Linc in front of 75,000. Getting that feature game like a Pitt or Penn State or Rutgers or Maryland in The Linc, those are the kind of things that bring your fans back over and over and over.”

Keeler expects Penn State’s return trip to Lincoln Financial Field will produce Temple’s greatest crowd in over a decade. Temple hasn’t played in front of 40,000 fans at home since 69,280 flocker in for a 2015 College GameDay feature matchup vs. Notre Dame.

Keeler knows the fanbase is anxious for those glory days to return, so he decided to fully embrace 2015. He even invited the captains from that Temple team — which defeated Penn State — to be honorary captains for the Week 2 matchup against the Nittany Lions. It will all serve as a reminder of what Keeler hopes Temple football, and college football as a whole, can become in the future.

“I think a lot of people are wishing for those days to come back when you go toe-to-toe with a Penn State,” Keeler said. “New coach, a lot of turnover there, and we feel it’s going to be a great opportunity for us.”

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