Penn State football owns a Top 20 ranking, after all, to start its hopeful recovery season under new head coach Matt Campbell.
The Nittany Lions are No. 17 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the first of the upcoming 2026 season, which was released on Tuesday, Aug 4.
It's quite the contrast to last August when former coach James Franklin's highly-publicized team started No. 3 − the program's highest preseason standing in the poll in 28 years. Of course, Franklin was fired in the middle of a stunning six-game losing streak that turned Penn State into college football's most disappointing team.
The Lions finished the season unranked, despite a late turnaround under interim leader Terry Smith. Campbell and his new staff now open their first preseason camp on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and will make their debut in a bigger-than-ever Beaver Stadium a month later against Marshall.
This new Top 25 is expectedly led by three Big Teams in No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 6 and defending national champion Indiana − none of which the Lions play during the regular season. Other Big Ten teams in the poll: USC (14th), Michigan (16th), Washington (19th) and Iowa (22nd).
#state #lions #penn
The Nittany Lions are No. 17 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the first of the upcoming 2026 season, which was released on Tuesday, Aug 4.
It's quite the contrast to last August when former coach James Franklin's highly-publicized team started No. 3 − the program's highest preseason standing in the poll in 28 years. Of course, Franklin was fired in the middle of a stunning six-game losing streak that turned Penn State into college football's most disappointing team.
The Lions finished the season unranked, despite a late turnaround under interim leader Terry Smith. Campbell and his new staff now open their first preseason camp on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and will make their debut in a bigger-than-ever Beaver Stadium a month later against Marshall.
This new Top 25 is expectedly led by three Big Teams in No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 6 and defending national champion Indiana − none of which the Lions play during the regular season. Other Big Ten teams in the poll: USC (14th), Michigan (16th), Washington (19th) and Iowa (22nd).
#state #lions #penn
3 months ago
