​Penn State has a long and convoluted college football history that includes extended periods of success, brief periods of inactivity, and a whole bunch of drama in between the lines. But everything they’ve encountered in their nearly 140-year history has led them to the 2026 season, where Matt Campbell will be at the helm for the first time as the team embarks on a redemption journey.They had a catastrophic 2025 season that resulted in a coaching change, an abandoned 2027 recruiting class and a lot of uncertainty about the program. Fast forward to today and it’s a miracle that the outlook on the Nittany Lions has flipped so dramatically. USA Today’s Paul Myerberg ranked all 18 Big Ten programs and had Penn State listed at No. 5.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt doesn’t help the school’s case that the conference has been on a national championship run as of late, with Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana all achieving glory in consecutive years since 2024. Unsurprisingly, those are three of the teams ranked above the Nittany Lions, with the Oregon Ducks being the only team missing a national championship that has a better outlook.It’s no slight, with the team having a top-5 record in the nation over the last five seasons and clinching back-to-back College Football Playoff berths. Penn State earned a trip to the tournament in 2024, but missed it during the tumult of last season.Getting back to the playoffs so quickly would be a dream come true, but finishing fifth in the Big Ten likely wouldn’t be good enough to make it. Wherever they land, though, Nittany Lions fans should rejoice over how much the team’s hopes have changed in such a short amount of time.FollowNittany Lions Wire on X and Facebook.This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Where Penn State lands on USA Today’s 2026 Big Ten team rankings