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Penn State & Matt Campbell Just Got a Very Mixed Message From ESPN...
Description
ESPN left Penn State head coach Matt Campbell outside its top 10 college football coaches—but its Football Power Index still views the Nittany Lions as a top-20-caliber team entering the 2026 season. Does ESPN believe Penn State is ready to contend immediately, or is the model overvaluing a talented but unproven roster?
Locked On Nittany Lions joins Locked On Ducks and Locked On Hoosiers to discuss Matt Campbell’s coaching résumé, Curt Cignetti’s rise to the No. 1 spot, Dan Lanning’s national championship pressure and the James Franklin comparison some Penn State fans are already making. The conversation also examines ESPN’s FPI rankings, Penn State’s College Football Playoff chances, Indiana and Oregon’s 2026 outlooks and whether preseason polls create misleading narratives.
Penn State has a favorable schedule and enough talent to become a playoff contender in Campbell’s first season, but the new coaching staff and reconstructed roster still have to prove that the pieces fit. A projected ranking is not the same thing as a résumé—and Penn State may need 11 wins to remove any doubt about its playoff case.
Do you trust ESPN’s projection of Penn State more than its evaluation of Matt Campbell? Leave your record prediction and playoff verdict below.
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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