Can Penn State Make the Playoff in Year One? | Five Burning Questions

Expectations are both high and unknown for the Penn State football team in 2026. With so many variables and new faces converging in Happy Valley this year, it’s hard to know where to place the team in the Big Ten pecking order. Today on the BWI Live Show, we’ll answer the top five burning questions facing the team that will lead us to that answer in time. We’ll discuss the important games that define the season, the players who need to make a big leap in production, plus realistic expectations. We’ll also discuss Athlon’s Big Ten coach rankings and where Penn State head coach Matt Campbell fell in their rankings.  Join the BWI Live show for all of that, plus the Mailbag! We’re taking questions from the live chat, plus featured quetsions from the mailbag submission thread to discuss what’s on your mind.  00:00:00 - Intro: Five Burning Questions Facing Penn State Football 00:03:16 - BWI Summer Sale: 50% Off Membership 00:04:12 - How Nate Bauer Built the Five Questions List 00:06:09 - Does the 2026 Schedule Make This a Must-Win Year? 00:07:17 - Question #5: Which Game Will Define Penn State's Season? 00:10:51 - Campbell's History vs. Riley & Whittingham 00:14:16 - Question #4: Who Needs to Make the Biggest Leap? 00:21:53 - Sponsor: Antifragile Brewing Co. 00:24:55 - Question #3: Who Is Penn State's Most Irreplaceable Player? 00:28:59 - Question #2: What Are Realistic Expectations for Year One? 00:34:01 - Question #1: Will Penn State Make the College Football Playoff? 00:42:27 - Sponsor: Rhoback 00:43:24 - Fitz's Recruiting Update 00:44:49 - Jamir Dean Visits Georgia: What It Means for Penn State 00:49:07 - Zahmar Tookes & Other OV Weekend Targets 00:51:57 - Mailbag: How Should NIL Be Regulated? 00:58:08 - Should the CFP Field Expand to 24 Teams? 01:01:18 - Mailbag: Recruiting vs. Portal ROI by Position 01:05:14 - Final Thoughts & Thursday's Show Preview Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3KzEcqK Check out the site too! - https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/ Get 20% off and free shipping at Fanatics with our affiliate link: https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/OeZg2z Use Code BWI20 to get 20 percent off Rhoback’s Gameday Collection: https://rhoback.com/collections/pennsylvania-state-university-licensed-collection Want breaking news like this delivered straight to your inbox for FREE? Sign up today for the BWI breaking newsletter! You’ll also get daily updates with the top headlines of the day five times a week. Click here to sign-up! https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/newsletter/join/ #PennState  #NittanyLions   JOIN Blue White Illustrated: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/?plan=annual SUBSCRIBE to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable alerts - new highlights and videos uploaded regularly: https://www.youtube.com/c/bluewhiteillustratedvideo?sub_confirmation Bookmark our homepage: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/ Subscribe to BWI Magazine and Newsletters:  https://bluewhiteonline.com  Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueWhiteIllustrated/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/PennStateOn3 Music and SFX from Zapsplat.com  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.