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ESPN analyst names B1G team who could be ‘surprise’ CFP contender
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ESPN’s Heather Dinich believes Penn State could be a stealthy College Football Playoff contender in 2026.
The Nittany Lions have a revamped team and coaching staff after parting ways with James Franklin midway through last season. Matt Campbell is now in charge and has brought numerous Iowa State players and staffers with him to Happy Valley.
That’s only part of the reason for Dinich’s optimism though. The rest comes from what Dinich believes is a “manageable” schedule for Penn State in 2026.
“This is a team that could be a surprise contender for the College Football Playoff because the schedule is so manageable,” Dinich said. “Penn State doesn’t play Ohio State, they don’t play Indiana or Oregon and they don’t have a power-4 nonconference opponent.
“They’ve gotta beat USC, they’ve gotta beat Michigan. They’ve got to put up some style points against those other opponents.”
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Here’s a clip of Dinich’s analysis:
As Dinich noted, Penn State does have a pair of games in traditional powers like USC and Michigan. The Nittany Lions will host the Trojans on Oct. 10 and will go on the road to Ann Arbor on Oct. 17. Games against Wisconsin and Washington could also prove to be difficult, among other potential roadblocks.
Penn State will open the 2026 season against Marshall on Sept. 5.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.