Penn State ranked No. 17 in Top 25 preseason coaches poll

The annual preseason college football coaches poll was released, and Penn State was included despite a disastrous 2025 season.

On Tuesday, Penn State was ranked No. 17. Eight Big Ten schools were included in the Top 25 poll, with Ohio State atop the list.

Last season, the Nittany Lions were ranked third overall in the same preseason poll, which was not indicative of the season the team had. The Nittany Lions finished 7-6 overall and 3-6 in conference play. Longtime head coach James Franklin was dismissed in the middle of the season. Former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell was hired in December to take over the program.

“Over the past six months, we’ve been reminded every day why Penn State was the right fit,” said Campbell during Big Ten media day last week. “The history is special. The tradition is special. But what really resonated with me is how Penn State has always valued integrity, character, and class at its best.”

It seems Campbell’s peers believe he can help the program bounce back. To do so, he will lean on some familiar faces, as 24 Iowa State players followed Campbell to Penn State through the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Rocco Becht.

In 12 games last season, playing with a torn labrum on his nonthrowing shoulder, Becht threw for 2,584 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is the winningest returning quarterback in college football.

“We have our goals in mind, and that’s to win a Big Ten championship and ultimately get to the College Football Playoff to have a chance to win a national championship,” Becht previously told the Inquirer. “With the team that we have now, I think we’re fully capable of doing that. Everybody just has to buy in, be consistent with the standards, and I think we’ll be in good hands.”

Here are the full coaches poll rankings:

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Georgia
4. Texas
5. Notre Dame
6. Indiana
7. Miami
8. Texas A&M
9. Oklahoma
10. Ole Miss
11. Alabama
12. Texas Tech
13. LSU
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Michigan
17. Penn State
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. SMU
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Clemson
24. Houston
25. Missouri