Where Penn State ranks in CBS Sports way-too-early top 25 for 2026

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There seems to be a general consensus that Penn State should be a top-25 caliber program in 2026. The only question for the first season under Matt Campbell is where in the top-25 will Penn State land? The collection of way-too-early rankings for the 2026 season making the rounds has seen Penn State being anywhere from on the fringe of the College Football Playoff to a lower-tier top-25 team.

CBS Sports has Penn State toward the lower end of the top-25 spectrum, but gives some optimism for the first year under Campbell. Penn State is ranked No. 22 in the way-too-early top 25 released by CBS Sports.

“I’m gonna take a chance on Matt Campbell, a long-time fantastic coach, pushing Penn State to play top-25 football despite a load of newcomers, says Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports. “Veteran quarterback Rocco Becht followed him from Iowa State, and that familiarity, along with the top-25 type talent still on the roster, will lead to a team that exits August worthy of consideration as a fringe top-25 team.”

The way-too-early ranking from CBS Sports has a number of Big Ten teams sitting ahead of Penn State, including No. 1 Ohio State. Other Big Ten teams ranked ahead of Penn State by the CBS Sports way-too-early ranking include Oregon (No. 4), Indiana (No. 8), Michigan (No. 9), USC (No. 11), and Washington (No. 19).

Of note, Virginia Tech, with former Penn State head coach James Franklin and a number of former Nittany Lions players and commitments, is ranked at No. 24 by CBS Sports.

Penn State has an identical ranking in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 but appears higher in the way-too-early rankings from USA TODAY and On3.

Penn State’s 2026 schedule will include challenging road trips to Michigan and Washington and will be highlighted at home with a visit from USC. The Nittany Lions are not scheduled to face any of the Big Ten teams that reached the College Football Playoff in the 2025 season (Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon). The Big Ten will release its full conference football schedule this week.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Where Penn State ranks in CBS Sports way-too-early top 25 for 2026

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