If anybody could have put together a worse possible outcome for Penn State's football season throughout the 2026-27 campaign, it would probably look something like this.
Obviously, we could have said Penn State losing to Marshall, Temple, or Buffalo would have been the worst outcome, but it didn't, and the fact that it's now lost four straight games and hasn't won a Big Ten contest is just as bad as anyone could have imagined.
When we also factor in some other things, especially the reality that Penn State's schedule is arguably the easiest in the Big Ten, and it moved on from a decent head coach in James Franklin who had won a whole lot of games in Happy Valley, starting the season 3-4 just seems like the worst possible outcome.
It's still a bit too early to say Matt Campbell isn't the guy for the job, but Campbell is also showing some flaws.
For one, his unwillingness to move on from a guy like Rocco Becht when it's evident that he needs to be benched is perhaps the most concerning of the bunch, as Campbell needs to put his foot down at some point and say that this is his program and he's not going to run with guys that he has history with.
Regardless, it's not unfair to say Penn State has had the worst possible start to Campbell's tenure.
That's part of the reason why CBS gave the program an F grade for the 2026 season so far.
“Could the Matt Campbell era at Penn State have started any worse? With the exception of losing a non-conference game as a heavy favorite, no. We're more than halfway through October, and the Nittany Lions are still looking for their first conference win. Penn State's four losses to this point include a home defeat at the hands of a middling Wisconsin team, a humiliation against Northwestern and a loss to a Michigan team that used a freshman quarterback.
“The Nittany Lions' manageable schedule was a reason to buy into this squad in the preseason, but now I'm wondering whether they'll even reach a bowl. To make matters worse, Campbell may have to consider benching fifth-year quarterback Rocco Becht, who followed him from Iowa State. Grade: F,” CBS wrote.
While this F grade is more than fair, since Penn State wasn't the team expected to come into this season, it's also important to recognize that Campbell still has plenty of time to turn things around.
That doesn't mean everything will be sunshine and rainbows over the next couple of years, but there's reason to believe Penn State can figure some things out.