Penn State Nittany Lions 2026 College Football Preview, Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions

By Nate Weitzer | May 22, 2026, 7:28pm

In a move rarely seen by Power Four college football programs, Penn State relieved head coach James Franklin of his duties in the midst of last season. That led to a rather disastrous short-term shift in terms of recruits and coaches following Franklin to Virginia Tech, but the Nittany Lions replaced some of that talent and coaching with personnel following new coach Matt Campbell’s shift over from Iowa State.

Adding former USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn should boost Penn State’s defense with bigtime recruit Elijah Reeder anchoring the defensive line in front of a good linebacking corps.

Junior quarterback Rocco Becht is one of the transfers from Iowa State and he’s expected to start for the Nittany Lions. The graduation of stud tailbacks Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton leaves a big void in Penn State’s backfield.

2026 College Football Betting Resources

Penn State 2026 College Football National Championship Odds

National Title Odds:

Penn State is among the true longshots to win a national title this year with 100/1 odds at most books. The Nittany Lions are expected to miss the CFB Playoff entirely with -650 odds at some books.

This roster is simply not built to win now in a Big Ten Conference that includes three of the top-five national title contenders in Ohio State, Oregon, and defending champion Indiana. Penn State is rebuilding for the future and this could be considered the first step towards returning to contention.

Bet: No

Penn State 2026 Big Ten Championship Odds

Big Ten Title Odds:

There are five teams ahead of Penn State in terms of odds to win the Big Ten Championship. Penn State is listed around 28/1 to win the conference at most books.

The aforementioned title contenders are all loaded with Ohio State considered the favorite to win the conference and to win the national championship. Oregon has reloaded on offense with Nebraska transfer Dominic Raiola set to back up returning QB Dante Moore. Indiana replaces Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza with TCU transfer Josh Hoover.

Michigan and USC are also projected to finish higher than Penn State. Michigan is two years removed from a national title and once again under new management with Kyle Whittingham taking over as head coach. The Trojans have the nation’s top recruiting class per ESPN and a Heisman candidate in QB Jayden Maiava.

Bet: No

Penn State 2026 Win Total Odds

Win Total Odds:

Despite the poor outlook on their Big Ten Championship title chances, Penn State is projected to win over 8.5 games this season with negative odds to top that total.

This is because the Nittany Lions are outside the top 50 in the nation in terms of strength of schedule. They don’t have Ohio State, Indiana, or Oregon on the schedule, and they also miss Big Ten foes Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, UCLA, and Nebraska. Their first four games are against teams that didn’t make a bowl game last year and they have easy non-conference bouts against Marshall, Temple, Buffalo, and Rutgers.

Since their only truly difficult matchups are at Michigan and at Washington, it’s fair to expect Penn State to win nine-plus games and lose three or fewer.

Bet: Yes – Over

Penn State 2026 Heisman Contenders, Odds

Rocco Becht, QB:

Penn State does not have a legitimate Heisman contender. Rocco Becht is listed at 65/1 to win the trophy but that would require a significant leap in terms of his playing style and Penn State performing well above expectations as a team.

The Big Ten had the Heisman winner last year, in Fernando Mendoza, and Ohio State has two of the top five candidates in QB Julian Sayin and WR Jeremiah Smith.

Bet: No

Penn State 2026 College Football Schedule

Sat., 9/5 – vs. Marshall
Sat., 9/12 – at Temple
Sat., 9/19 – vs. Buffalo
Sat., 9/26 – vs. Wisconsin
Sat., 10/2 – at Northwestern
Sat., 10/10 – vs. USC
Sat., 10/17 – at Michigan
Sat., 10/31 – vs. Purdue
Sat., 11/7 – at Washington
Sat., 11/14 – vs. Minnesota
Sat., 11/21 – vs. Rutgers
Sat., 11/28 – at Maryland

Photo Credit: AP/Adam Hunger

Nate Weitzer

Nate Weitzer has been covering sports betting and daily fantasy sports at Catena Media for nearly a decade, focusing primarily on NBA and NFL content. He is the co-host of the NBA and NFL Coast 2 Coast show on the Lineups YouTube channel, where he provides daily picks and prop bets alongside co-host Josh Lander. He also runs the NFL premium content channel at LandYourBets.com. In addition to his duties at Catena, Weitzer is a high school sports reporter for The Boston Globe and a freelance writer for other outlets, covering stories ranging from high school championships to ski mountaineering races. He graduated from Boston University’s MS in Sports Journalism program in 2012.