October 30, 2026, 5:31 a.m. ET
- Penn State has lost all four of its conference games under new coach Matt Campbell.
- Fan discontent is growing due to the team’s performance and a $700 million stadium renovation.
- The Nittany Lions are in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time in a full season since 2004.
One of the barometers of Penn State’s season has been the number of empty seats inside Beaver Stadium.
While the venue continues to bring in large numbers of spectators, including a stadium-record 114,419 fans announced for a recent game against Southern California, there have been notable chunks of unoccupied seats during the team’s other two conference home games.
There is a key underlying factor. Beaver Stadium is undergoing a $700 million renovation, upending the traditional gameday experience and causing some discontent among season ticket holders who may have to pay double or even triple for the same seats for the 2027 season.
And there’s another important dynamic at play: Penn State is losing.
Scheduled to start in former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell’s first season — the Nittany Lions were No. 16 in the preseason LBM U.S. Coaches Poll — Penn State lost all four Big Ten games heading into Saturday’s must-win home game against Purdue.
Instead of enjoying a relatively straightforward conference schedule, the Nittany Lions were one of the Power Four’s biggest disappointments, triggering uncomfortable questions about the state of the program and Campbell’s plan to reverse a slide that dates to the start of last season.
“I’m really trying to take it week to week with our football team, where are we at, how can we continue to move forward,” Campbell said Tuesday.
“I think it’s a look back to the third quarter of our season and where we are. I still think there are things for us, that the goal that we have set for ourselves first and foremost is the identity of our football program going forward. Who do we want to be. What do we want to become. That’s the vision of where we want to be.”
James Franklin fired and lengthy search weighs on Penn State
Last October, Penn State fired James Franklin in the midst of a three-game losing streak that would grow to six games before the team rallied to reach bowl eligibility under an interim coach. Franklin has since landed at Virginia Tech, where he has gone 6-2 and has the Hokies on the brink of a national ranking.
The shock of Franklin’s firing was exacerbated by a 59-day coaching search orchestrated by athletic director Pat Kraft. Before landing Campbell, Penn State faced the public embarrassment of seeing several established coaches exploit the opening into lucrative contract extensions.
“It started when James was fired 15 minutes before a team meeting. It wasn’t a smooth process. So getting off on the wrong foot in a coaching search is never a good thing,” said Gerry DiNardo, Big Ten Network analyst and former Indiana coach. “It’s not that Matt Campbell isn’t the right person. It seemed to me that the context of this firing set the tone.”
Because of this meandering search, Campbell was easy to classify as a consolation prize. That overshadowed a unique resume of success at one of the Power Four’s historically weakest programs. During his decade at the helm of Iowa State, he set new records for most conference wins in a season, most total wins in a season and highest final ranking in program history.
Still, the draw was clear: Campbell had done more with less with the Cyclones and now had access to considerably greater resources with the Nittany Lions. Additionally, Campbell would be able to access his former Iowa State roster through the transfer portal, adding crucial schematic experience and Power Four starting experience to the roster.
Most importantly, he could add his former quarterback, Rocco Becht, who entered the 2026 season leading all active Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks with 46 career starts and 29 wins.
But this much is obvious after seven games: Penn State simply isn’t talented enough to compete at a high level in the Big Ten.
Penn State’s talent level ‘needs to be strengthened’
The belief that Iowa State’s influx of talent would boost Penn State’s chances has already been proven wrong on two counts.
On the one hand, the Nittany Lions’ 24-player transfer from Iowa State was revealed during the transition from the Big 12 to the Big Ten, providing a telling glimpse into the wide gap that separates these two Power Four leagues.
“The list needs to be put together,” DiNardo said. “They’re not talented enough, competitive enough with the best teams in the country, the teams in the conference. They need to develop their talent base.”
This formation is the weakest on the offensive line. Never a concrete force in the Franklin era, this year’s offensive front has clearly taken a step back. The Nittany Lions are averaging just 2.5 yards per carry in Big Ten play, last in the conference.
Penn State swept Marshall, Temple and Buffalo out of the conference. But the Nittany Lions averaged just 3.6 yards per play in a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin. Then gave up 413 rushing yards in a crushing 34-13 loss to No. 18 Northwestern. Then allowed 430 yards and 6.8 yards per play in a 31-23 loss to No. 25 Southern California. In their last game two weeks ago, the Nittany Lions allowed just 90 passing yards, but still fell 21-18 to a Michigan team that found life after turning to freshman quarterback Tommy Carr in the second half.
“Do I think it’s a coaching problem? No,” DiNardo said. “What Matt Campbell did at Iowa State, you can see why he would be an attractive candidate. I think what surprised everyone was that when he coached his first game, he probably wasn’t as talented as any (Franklin) team.”
With five games remaining in the regular season – Purdue, Washington, Minnesota, Rutgers and Maryland – Penn State is in danger of being bowl ineligible for the first time in a full season since 2004. The program was ineligible for a bowl game in 2012 and 2013 after NCAA sanctions stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
In an era of intense expectations and a hunger for immediate results, these failed debuts have already cast doubt on the emerging Campbell era.
Penn State slumps while other Big Ten programs rise
Penn State’s worrisome start contrasts with the historic turnarounds seen elsewhere in the Big Ten.
After about a century as a Big Ten doormat, No. 4 Indiana went 33-3 under coach Curt Cignetti, winning last year’s national championship. No. 7 UCLA is the only undefeated team in the Big Ten and a bona fide College Football Playoff contender in former James Madison coach Bob Chesney’s first year.
Unlike the Nittany Lions, Northwestern benefited from an easier schedule. Wisconsin climbed the conference standings after giving more resources to coach Luke Fickell, who started the year under pressure.
Overall, there has been a drastic change in how first-year Power Four coaches are viewed. The days of protracted reconstruction are over; Coaches are expected to win early, and those who don’t face increased scrutiny, like Campbell.
“I think there are too many examples of first-year coaches doing it now, right away. That’s the bar now,” DiNardo said. “I think people expect better results immediately.”
And the results for Penn State were terrible:
- The offense ranks 13th in the Big Ten with 384.1 yards per game and 5.8 yards per play. Those totals drop to 303.3 yards per game and 4.6 yards per game in conference play.
- Penn State managed just three touchdowns in the second half against Big Ten competition.
- Defensively, only seven Power Four teams have allowed more rushing yards than the Nittany Lions (1,206) and only four have given up more than the Nittany Lions’ 4.9 yards per carry.
- Since giving up a touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin, Penn State has led for 32 minutes and 49 seconds out of a possible 180 minutes of playing time, with almost all of that time coming during the first half of the eventual loss to Michigan.
Purdue game looks crucial for Penn State
Still, Penn State players are trying to stay positive.
“A lot of people take the fun and joy away just because we have losses,” potential All-America linebacker Tony Rojas said. “But I think we just need to be able to continue to have fun and lean on each other and play for each other, and at the end of the day, no one will feel sorry for us.”
As negative as things look, the outlook for this season would take an even bleaker turn with a loss to the Boilermakers, who already have two wins in the Big Ten after recording none in the past two years.
But this is where things stand, halfway through Campbell’s debut: Penn State needs to stop this slide and build positive momentum before current discontent turns to outrage.
“I only said this at Iowa State: I felt like we had to rebuild our program three times,” Campbell said. “When I took over as head football coach at Toledo, you felt like you had to rebuild the program the way it was.
“I feel like having those experiences definitely helped you with the dynamic of that experience. Again, what are you trying to take away from the first year? What are you trying to take away from building a football team and a program? How do you not hesitate and flinch when adversity hits?”
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