r/WeArePennState

Because we're suckers for punishment:

1. Kalani Sitake : BYU ranked #8 with a 4-0 record. Big games coming up against #3 ranked ND in 2 weeks, but a game against...Iowa State before that . That's just the way the cookie crumbles.
2. Bob Chesney: UCLA is currently ranked #21 with a 4-0, but their trajectory is TBD. They have their big game against Oregon this coming Saturday. Offense seems to have put up some numbers against Purdue, MD and Cal. Sheetz or Wawa.
3. He who shall not be named: Hokies are unranked with a 4-1 record , having lost to Pitt on a last second failed FG attempt. It starts with I love you and ends with I love you.
4. Mike Elko: Aggies sit unranked with a 3-2 record, dropping games to Kentucky and LSU. Blistering Barnacles.
5. Eli Drinkwitz : The tigers are ranked #14 , with a 4-1 record. Drink gets a signature top 10 win against #8 Florida, hammering them 45-14.
6. Jeff Brohm: Louisville sits on a 2-3 record, dropping close games to NC State, Ole Miss and Wake Forest (while getting a win against the 24th ranked SMU). Cruisin in his Honda Accord.
7. Matt Rhule : Nebraska unranked but with a 5-0 record, but really haven't played anyone of note yet. Temple of the king.
8. Manny Diaz : 4-0 , but unranked with Duke . Looking at their schedule, they don't play much competition till Miami late in the season. #IsThatHairGel?
9. Brian Hartline : 4-1 with USF. 4-1 with a loss to Temple. RouteRunning.

(Edited to add 8 and 9 to this list)

This weekend was a Big Ten battle between a team who spent $875 million building a small, modern stadium against a team who spent $700 million renovating a quarter of its stadium.

College Football is doing everything it can to alienate their fan base: NIL, transfer portal, conference realignment, rising costs. When they expand the CFP to 24 teams, that will probably be the final straw. The sport has been overtaken by galaxy brains who believe it should become less-talented version of the NFL.

Northwestern is a small private school in an urban area. They can follow the NFL model. Corporations in Chicago will pay for overpriced luxury boxes. There are tons of six-figure professionals who are only a subway ride away. There’s a big airport, a massive airport, countless hotels. The one thing they lack is being a historical powerhouse, but with NIL, that’s no big deal. The alumni just need to scrounge up another $20 million per year to be the next Indiana.

Penn State is historically based on scale, devotion and legacy. Legacy is now as relevant as the Cowboys Super Bowls from 30+ years ago. And scale/devotion can become a burden if fans turn sour about what college football has become. That 110k seat stadium can look empty really fast if fans no longer care enough to go through all the State College logistics. Especially with premium ticket prices.

At least Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, USC, UCLA are all city schools. Dare I say that Rutgers and Maryland are better suited for what’s about to happen… Pitt too.

What I’m saying is that the Beaver Stadium renovation couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

Penn State is my team and I also root for Cal. Somehow I have two football teams and zero peace.

PSU is 0-2 in the Big Ten. Cal is 2-3. I spread my hope across two coasts and still went emotionally bankrupt.

We Are Going Through It.

What would count as real progress for Campbell this season? I'm trying to set expectations that won't ruin every Saturday.

Here’s how I see things playing
out:
* 2026 PSU goes 5-7 (2-7 in Conf.)
* 2026 PSU fires Pat Kraft, new AD hired
* 2027 PSU improves to 7-5 (4-5 in Conf.)
* 2028 PSU goes 8-4 (5-4 in Conf.), attendance wanes
* 2028 Matt Campbell is fired, we start all over again.

Thoughts?

Who do you watch/read? Please don't answer "None of the Above after Friday night"

• PennLive
• BWI
• Tengwall Film Network
• Nittany Dispatch
• Locked on Lions
• Daily Collegian
• Lions247

Similarities:
- first year head coach in place, with very disappointing showings so far and some (idiotic) fans already calling for coaching changes
- promising QB1 on the surface, but disappointing performance so far- again some (maybe not so idiotic) fans calling for QB2 to take over asap
- embarrassing o- and d-line plays so far, despite seemingly good talent on the team
- both teams 3-2 right now, with 2 losses coming against big ten opponents in the last 2 weeks

However, differences i see:
- Michigan’s QB1 is perhaps the most hyped QB of his class, with one of the highest NIL amounts- I think the expectation for Underwood is much higher than Becht
- Michigan wont a natty recently so their fanbase probably not as miserable as the psu fanbase

I am trying to go to one of the men’s hockey games in a couple weeks and can’t find single game ticket info anywhere. None of the home games are listed on Ticketmaster (which is where it said 2025-26 tickets would be available), and there is no information on the website.

The only place I can find tickets are on resale sites (SeatGeek, StubHub, etc) which is fine, but up until I checked today there was extremely limited availability and high prices, so I am just a bit confused about the whole thing with the season starting so soon.

Any info/help is appreciated

My friend and I are heading to Ann Arbor in October for the Penn State v. Michigan game. Obviously, neither team is exactly having a great season, but we’re still looking forward to the trip.

For anyone who’s been to Ann Arbor for a game before, do you have any recommendations for tailgating or bars? We’ll be coming in as Penn State fans, so we’d especially appreciate places that are a little more welcoming to the visiting team.

Any tips on where to go before/after the game, or places we should definitely check out while we’re there?

We are coming from Morgantown, WV to visit downtown around 1 then go to the game at 7:30. Any recommendations on where to park for the day and places to see/eat? Thanks!

Hi! I’m bringing my 14-year-old son Nathan to his first Penn State game and second White Out this Saturday against USC. We’re coming from New York and don’t know anyone at Penn State yet, I am an alumni 1999.
I’d really love to experience a true Penn State tailgate before the game with my son. He’s a starting football player for his high school.
We’d love to join a fun, family-friendly group of Penn State parents or alumni for a few hours before the game.
We’re very happy to bring food/drinks or contribute toward the tailgate — we definitely don’t want to show up empty-handed! And of course he will have a football in his hands!
If anyone has room for a mom and son at their tailgate, we’d be so appreciative. We Are! 💙🤍

Hi,

We're going to the whiteout this weekend, but it's been a couple of years since we've been to a game. Do they still sell parking passes all over the place on the side of the road off of the highway by the stadium? Or should I try to buy a pass somewhere online in advance? Thanks!

My friends and I are coming to State College for the USC vs. PSU game. We have 3 passes for Lot 34 and plan to tailgate throughout the game rather than go into the stadium.

Since we’ll be tailgating for the entire game (we’ll have a TV + Starlink, etc.), we’d rather not start too early. My husband suggested getting to the lot around 3pm, but I’m worried that by then the lots will be packed and it’ll be difficult to drive in, find our spots, and get everything set up.

For a 7:30pm kickoff, what time do people typically arrive and start setting up their tailgates? Is 3pm cutting it too close, or should we be okay getting there around then?

Any advice from experienced PSU tailgaters would be greatly appreciated!

EVANSTON, Ill. — Matt Campbell hadn’t watched the tape, and he didn’t use the exact word, but Penn State’s football coach had come away with one sweeping conclusion in the moments after Friday’s 34-13 loss at Northwestern.

His team was soft, and that’s the worst way to describe a football program.

“They played the game, the style of game that obviously we would like to play,” Campbell said. “The frustrating thing for me is the standard of what this program plays football with — the attitude, the effort, the toughness — we lacked it in every way, shape and form, and I put a lot on me.”

The numbers illuminate soft like a spotlight. Northwestern blasted through Penn State for 413 yards on 55 rushes. That’s 7.5 yards per carry. Defenders at every level, but particularly the defensive line and linebackers, looked like they’ve never defended a power running attack.

The defensive line couldn’t get off blocks and was blown off the ball on double teams. The linebackers took bad angles, fit the wrong gaps and looked hesitant. Northwestern used a combination of misdirection with wingback motion and straight gap blocking, and both elements were successful in a four-touchdown rushing performance.

“I didn’t get this team prepared to play the physical brand of football that we need to play, and that’s something that showed up on both sides, especially on the line of scrimmage,” Campbell said. “We had a lot of opportunities to make some plays and missed tackles. We’ve got to find solutions, and it starts with me as the football coach.”

This week, Penn State holds its traditional White Out in primetime against USC. Barely 10 days ago, it looked like a grand reopening to a proud program when the unbeaten No. 13 Nittany Lions led Wisconsin 17-0 at home. Then, the Badgers pulled off a stunning comeback for a 24-20 win. Then came the collapse at the debut of Northwestern’s new Ryan Field. Penn State stands unranked at 3-2 and is still looking for a power-conference win. Campbell’s once-promising inaugural season approaches a crossroads.