We may still be in the middle of February, but it is never too early to start thinking about the fall. Specifically, it is never too early to start planning out next college football season. Penn State will be one of the more interesting teams to figure out leading up to the start of the 2026 season, and they may be considered a bit of a wild card right now given the number of uncertainties following a turbulent offseason.
But one thing feels pretty safe to say in this day and age of an abundance of bowl games. Penn State is more than likely to be playing in a postseason bowl game next season. But which one?
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Brett McMurphy of On3 has released his way-too-early bowl projections (subscription required) for next season, and it does include a prediction for the Nittany Lions. McMurphy predicts Penn State will be playing in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, where the Nittany Lions would face LSU of the SEC. Of course, that means McMurphy is skeptical of Penn State having enough inthe tank to make a push for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
McMurphy has three Big Ten teams in his early playoff outlook; Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State. But McMurphy does not see a four-peat in store for the Big Ten, as he has picked Notre Dame as his preseason No. 1 team.
Penn State last played in the Citrus Bowl at the end of the 2018 season, where the Nittany Lions lost to Kentucky by a score of 27-24 in the 2019 Citrus Bowl. Penn State has played in the Citrus Bowl four times and is 1-3 in the game. Penn State lost to Clemson in the 1988 Citrus Bowl and Florida in the 1998 game. The Nittany Lions topped Tennessee in the 1994 Citrus Bowl, which set the tone for an undefeated 1994 season to follow.
Penn State is coming off a 7-6 season that took some harsh turns as the season played out. A preseason national title contender, the Nittany Lions went on a steep slide in the middle of the season and made an in-season coaching change. That eventually led to the Nittany Lions hiring Matt Campbell from Iowa State to take over the program, and the roster has since been drastically overhauled with help from the transfer portal.
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Penn State does seem to have a pretty favorable schedule this season that dodges all three of McMurphy’s preseason Big Ten playoff picks. Penn State kicks off the 2026 season at home with a game against Marshall on Sept. 5.
Check out the full Penn State 2026 football schedule.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: On3 makes way-too-early bowl projection for Penn State in 2026 season
