Penn State & Matt Campbell Just Got a Very Mixed Message From ESPN...

ESPN left Penn State head coach Matt Campbell outside its top 10 college football coaches—but its Football Power Index still views the Nittany Lions as a top-20-caliber team entering the 2026 season. Does ESPN believe Penn State is ready to contend immediately, or is the model overvaluing a talented but unproven roster? Locked On Nittany Lions joins Locked On Ducks and Locked On Hoosiers to discuss Matt Campbell’s coaching résumé, Curt Cignetti’s rise to the No. 1 spot, Dan Lanning’s national championship pressure and the James Franklin comparison some Penn State fans are already making. The conversation also examines ESPN’s FPI rankings, Penn State’s College Football Playoff chances, Indiana and Oregon’s 2026 outlooks and whether preseason polls create misleading narratives. Penn State has a favorable schedule and enough talent to become a playoff contender in Campbell’s first season, but the new coaching staff and reconstructed roster still have to prove that the pieces fit. A projected ranking is not the same thing as a résumé—and Penn State may need 11 wins to remove any doubt about its playoff case. Do you trust ESPN’s projection of Penn State more than its evaluation of Matt Campbell? Leave your record prediction and playoff verdict below. Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Become an every-dayer! Subscribe to Locked On Nittany Lions on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lockedonnittanylions?sub\_confirmation=1 Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started now. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONittanyLions?sid=YouTube Locked On College Conferences, HBCU, Basketball & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnCollege Follow the show on X! https://x.com/LockedOnNittany https://x.com/zach\_seyko #lockedonnittanylions #pennstate #nittanylions #pennstatefootball #collegefootball #bigtenfootball #ncaafootball #lockedon #weare #football 0:00 ESPN’s coach rankings and the Matt Campbell omission 1:17 Why Curt Cignetti deserved the No. 1 ranking 4:04 Cignetti’s résumé and the Dan Lanning debate 5:43 Is Dan Lanning becoming James Franklin 2.0? 8:13 Oregon’s Big Ten title compared with Penn State’s Franklin era 11:31 Why ESPN’s FPI rankings make no sense 13:25 Does Penn State belong inside the top 20? 16:22 How preseason metrics can distort playoff résumés 18:30 FPI’s biggest misses from last season 20:45 Should college football eliminate preseason polls? 22:51 Indiana or Oregon: Who is more likely to miss the playoff? 26:52 Penn State’s 2026 College Football Playoff path 27:51 Why flawed preseason rankings still serve a purpose Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.