Penn State entered last season ranked No. 2 in the country.
It ended 7-6.
In between came an overtime loss to Oregon, stunning defeats to UCLA and Northwestern, the dismissal of James Franklin, and one of the strangest seasons in recent Penn State history. The Nittany Lions eventually stabilized under interim coach Terry Smith and finished with four consecutive victories, including a 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Now Penn State begins again.
And perhaps no coaching change in the Big Ten is more fascinating than Matt Campbell taking over in Happy Valley.
Campbell spent a decade turning Iowa State into a program capable of competing for championships without the recruiting advantages, resources or history he now inherits at Penn State. He became the winningest coach in Iowa State history, won three Big 12 Coach of the Year awards and produced the only two Top 15 AP finishes in school history.
The question is no longer whether Matt Campbell can build a football program.
We know he can.
The question is what happens when a coach accustomed to doing more with less suddenly gets Penn State.
Campbell Doesn't Need to Build Penn State From Scratch
That distinction is important.
Campbell inherited a massive rebuilding job when he arrived at Iowa State. Penn State is something entirely different.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a disappointing season, but this is still a program with one of the largest stadiums in college football, national recruiting reach, significant resources and a roster containing legitimate Big Ten talent.
Campbell described his first offseason as an effort to establish standards, expectations and a unified value system while simultaneously acknowledging that Penn State is expected to win immediately.
That is the balance he has to strike.
Nobody in Happy Valley is interested in a three-year rebuilding plan.
Penn State did not hire Campbell to eventually become competitive.
It hired him to compete for championships.
He Brought Iowa State With Him
Campbell's most significant immediate move was ensuring that Penn State would not have to learn his program entirely from scratch.
Quarterback Rocco Becht followed him from Iowa State.
So did running back Carson Hansen, safety Marcus Neal Jr., defensive lineman Ikenna Ezeogu, safety Jeremiah Cooper, linebacker Kooper Ebel, receiver Brett Eskildsen and a remarkable collection of other Cyclones.
At Big Ten Media Days, Becht said 24 former Iowa State players had made the move to Penn State and described their role as helping teach Campbell's standards and culture to the players already in Happy Valley.
That might be Campbell's greatest advantage in Year 1.
This is not simply a new coach installing a new offense and handing everyone a playbook.
Nearly two dozen players already know what practices are supposed to look like.
They understand the terminology. They understand Campbell’s expectations. They understand how he prepares for games.
They can teach the program from inside the locker room.
That could dramatically shorten what otherwise might have been a difficult transition.
Rocco Becht May Be the Most Important Addition
And no Iowa State transfer matters more than Becht.
Penn State does not enter 2026 hoping an inexperienced quarterback can learn Campbell's offense.
It gets a quarterback who has already started 39 consecutive games for him.
Becht arrives with 9,274 career passing yards, 64 touchdown passes and 26 victories as Iowa State's starter. He also has 19 career rushing touchdowns and has led seven game-winning drives.
That familiarity matters enormously.
There will be new receivers, new offensive linemen and new opponents, but when Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser call a play, the quarterback already understands why they are calling it.
Becht is not entering Penn State with the statistical profile of a Heisman favorite. His 2025 season was more modest, with 2,584 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.
But he brings something Penn State desperately needs after last year's turmoil: stability.
He has seen almost everything.
He knows Campbell. Campbell knows him.
For a first-year coaching staff, that might be more valuable than raw upside.
Expect Penn State to Become More Physical
Campbell's best Iowa State teams were rarely built around overwhelming opponents with five-star athletes.
They were difficult to play against.
They tackled. They ran the football. They developed players. They protected the ball. They stayed in games long enough to make opponents uncomfortable.
That style should translate naturally to Penn State and the Big Ten.
The backfield is a perfect example.
Hansen followed Campbell from Ames after rushing for 952 yards in 2025, averaging more than five yards per carry and finishing the season with five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances.
Penn State also added former Ohio State running back James Peoples, giving Campbell multiple legitimate options in the backfield. Both are listed on the current Penn State roster.
That should allow Penn State to play the type of football Campbell prefers.
Becht does not need to throw 45 times.
He needs to manage the game, create explosive plays when opportunities appear and punish defenses that become too focused on stopping the run.
This may not look like the most glamorous offense in the Big Ten.
It could be extremely effective.
Campbell Also Made a Smart Decision on Defense
Perhaps the most important thing Campbell did was recognize something Penn State did not need to change.
D'Anton Lynn remains defensive coordinator.
That provides continuity on a side of the ball where Penn State already possesses significant talent.
It also gives Campbell an experienced defensive coach with Big Ten familiarity rather than forcing the entire roster through simultaneous offensive and defensive reconstruction.
Linebacker Tony Rojas could become the centerpiece.
Rojas played only four games last year before injury, recording 25 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He had already earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in 2024 and returns as one of Penn State's most important defensive players.
Penn State also added experienced Iowa State defenders who already know Campbell's expectations, including Neal, Cooper, Ezeogu and others.
Again, that combination is important.
Campbell is not simply importing Iowa State's roster.
He is blending Iowa State's culture with Penn State's talent.
If it works, Penn State could become difficult to recognize surprisingly quickly.
The Concern: Is Penn State Becoming Iowa State East?
There is an obvious counterargument.
Campbell brought a huge portion of a team that finished only 5-4 in Big 12 play last season into a conference that has become even more unforgiving.
NCAA.com’s preseason assessment bluntly framed the question as whether Penn State can become more than East Iowa State.
It is a fair concern.
Campbell succeeded at Iowa State by maximizing players who fit his system. But Penn State's expectations are not Iowa State's expectations.
An eight-win season that might have been celebrated in Ames can feel disappointing in State College.
Going 9-3 is not necessarily enough.
Eventually, Campbell must beat teams such as Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and USC and compete for Big Ten championships.
The transfer strategy makes perfect sense for Year 1 because it accelerates the installation of Campbell's culture.
But long term, Penn State cannot simply become a bigger version of Iowa State.
Campbell has to use Penn State's recruiting power to build something Iowa State never had the resources to become.
That will ultimately determine the ceiling of this hire.
The Schedule Gives Campbell a Real Opportunity
Fortunately for Campbell, his first schedule offers an unusually reasonable path into the season.
Penn State opens with Marshall, at Temple and Buffalo.
That gives the Nittany Lions three games before Big Ten play begins.
Then comes Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium, followed by a Friday night trip to Northwestern.
Penn State could realistically be 5-0 when USC arrives in Happy Valley on October 10.
That is where the season truly begins.
USC starts No. 14 in the AP Poll. One week later, Penn State travels to Ann Arbor to face No. 16 Michigan. Later comes a November trip to No. 17 Washington. Penn State itself begins at No. 18 in the AP Poll and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll.
But look at who is missing.
No Ohio State. No Oregon. No defending national champion Indiana.
For a Big Ten team trying to install a new program, that is a substantial break.
USC and Michigan Will Tell Us Everything
Penn State's October sequence could define Campbell's first year.
The Nittany Lions host USC on October 10 and then travel to Michigan on October 17.
Win both and Penn State could suddenly be 7-0, climbing rapidly toward the Top 10 and squarely involved in the Big Ten championship race.
Split them and Penn State remains in excellent position.
Lose both and the preseason skepticism will return immediately.
These are exactly the games that will determine whether Campbell's system can scale upward.
At Iowa State, Campbell frequently built teams capable of upsetting more talented opponents.
At Penn State, he will often be coaching the more talented roster.
That is a completely different challenge.
Now he has to learn how to make the favorite play like one.
There May Be Less Pressure Than Last Year
Oddly, last year's collapse could actually help Campbell.
Penn State entered 2025 ranked No. 2.
Every game carried playoff expectations. Every imperfection became a national story.
The 2026 team starts at No. 18.
That is still respect, but it is a dramatically different psychological position.
Penn State can climb rather than defend.
Campbell can build momentum.
Becht does not have to become Drew Allar.
The roster does not have to prove it deserved last year's ranking.
This is essentially a new team with a new coach, new quarterback and dozens of new players.
That may allow Penn State to become dangerous before the rest of the country realizes what it has become.
What Does Matt Campbell Actually Change?
The most significant change may not be tactical.
It may be identity.
Campbell spent 10 years proving that Iowa State could win through development, cohesion and consistency. He produced the first two Big 12 regular-season first-place finishes in school history, including an 11-3 season in 2024 that set an Iowa State record for victories.
Penn State already had talent.
What it lacked last season was stability when things began going wrong.
After the Oregon loss, one disappointment became another. The season spiraled.
Campbell's entire coaching identity has been built around preventing that kind of collapse.
His teams generally do not need everything to go perfectly in order to function.
That might be exactly what Penn State needs.
Is Penn State a Big Ten Championship Contender?
Yes.
But it starts in the second tier of the league.
Ohio State and Oregon begin No. 1 and No. 2 nationally. Indiana is No. 6 after winning the national championship. USC, Michigan and Washington are all ranked ahead of Penn State.
That sounds daunting.
The schedule changes the equation.
Penn State does not play the three highest-ranked Big Ten teams.
USC comes to Beaver Stadium.
Washington is dangerous, but Penn State gets a bye before the final stretch of the season and closes with Purdue, Washington, Minnesota, Rutgers and Maryland.
A 7-2 Big Ten record is absolutely conceivable.
Depending on how the conference breaks, that could put Penn State surprisingly close to Indianapolis.
TD Strike Prediction
Matt Campbell may prove to be an unusually good fit for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions do not need a celebrity coach.
They need someone capable of developing players, building a consistent culture and winning the games that good teams are supposed to win.
Campbell has spent his career doing exactly that.
And for once, his roster may have more talent than the teams he is trying to beat.
Rocco Becht gives him immediate stability at quarterback. Carson Hansen gives him a proven running back. The large group of Iowa State transfers gives him instant cultural infrastructure. Tony Rojas and Anthony Donkoh provide high-end returning Penn State talent. Keeping D'Anton Lynn gives the defense continuity.
The schedule helps too.
There are questions about whether Campbell's Iowa State approach can produce championships at Penn State rather than merely respectable seasons.
But that is the fascinating part of this experiment.
What happens when one of college football's best program builders finally gets blue-blood resources?
We are about to find out.
Prediction: Penn State finishes 10-2, climbs back into the Top 10 and remains in the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff races deep into November.
The Nittany Lions probably will not look exactly like the Penn State teams of the James Franklin era.
They should not.
If Campbell succeeds, they will look more physical, more consistent and much harder to knock off course.
And after what happened last season, that may be precisely the change Penn State needed.