Where Penn State ranks in preseason US LBM Coaches Poll entering 2026
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The first official release of the US LBM Coaches Poll for the 2026 college football season has been released. Penn State will begin the year with a top-25 ranking but will have some work to do to receive more confidence from the voters.
Penn State debuts at No. 17 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lions are one of seven Big Ten teams included in the preseason ranking, and three of those teams are on Penn State's 2026 schedule. Penn State will face No. 16 Michigan and No. 14 USC in back-to-back games in October and will travel to No. 19 Washington in early November.
The Big Ten tops the preseason coaches poll with the top two teams in the nation. Ohio State is the preseason No. 1 after receiving 38 first-place votes. Oregon is the preseason No. 2 and received 6 first-place votes. Defending national champion Indiana will start the year at No. 6 in the coaches poll. The Hoosiers received 14 first-place votes, the second-most behind only Ohio State. No. 22 Iowa is the other Big Ten team represented in the preseason coaches poll. Illinois and Nebraska were among the others receiving votes.
Other teams receiving first-place votes include No. 3 Georgia (7 first-place votes), No. 4 Texas (2), and No. 5 Notre Dame (5).
Is Matt Campbell a voter in the US LBM Coaches Poll?
New Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is not among the voting members of the US LBM Coaches Poll in 2026.
Big Ten coaches who will be voting in the coaches poll this year are Dave BRaun (Northwestern), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Ryan Day (Ohio State), Jedd Fisch (Washington), Barry Odom (Purdue), Matt Rhule (Nebraska), and Kyle Whittingham (Michigan).
Other notable names with ballots this season for Penn State fans will include former head coach James Franklin (Virginia Tech), former assistants Manny Diaz (Duke), Charles Huff (Memphis), and Ricky Rahne (Old Dominion), and Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi.
Marshall head coach Tony Gibson, Buffalo head coach Pete Lembo, and Temple head coach KC Keeler also has a vote. Penn State will face Marshall, Buffalo, and Temple in September this season.
Penn State's recent US LBM Coaches Poll history
Penn State started off last season riding high with a No. 3 preseason ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll, but things came crashing down in a hurry in the middle of the year. The Nittany Lions finished the season with a 7-6 record and outside of the final coaches poll of the season.
As you can see from the past 15 seasons, the coaches poll has had a difficult time accurately predicting the fate of the Nittany Lions for the college football season.
Penn State's 2026 football schedule
Here is Penn State's 2026 football schedule with updated start times and TV information. This will be updated as needed. Home games are listed in all CAPS and all times are Eastern (ET).
| DATE | OPPONENT | TV | TIME |
| Sept. 5 | MARSHALL | FS1 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 12 | at Temple | ESPN2 | 12:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 19 | BUFFALO | Big Ten Network | 12:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 26 | WISCONSIN* | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 2 (Fri) | at Northwestern* | FOX | 8:00 p.m. |
| Oct. 10 | USC* | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 17 | at Michigan* | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 31 | PURDUE* | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 7 | at Washington* | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 14 | MINNESOTA* | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 21 | RUTGERS* | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 28 | at Maryland* | TBD | TBD |
- "*" denotes Big Ten Conference game
- Penn State's bye week is during Week 8 (Oct. 24)
- The Big Ten Championship game is scheduled for Saturday, December 5 in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Where Penn State ranks in preseason US LBM Coaches Poll entering 2026
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