Is analyst's criticism of Penn State's schedule justified?

Paul Finebaum did not hold back when he shared his thoughts on Penn State’s 2025 football schedule. The longtime college football analyst criticized the Nittany Lions for their non-conference slate, describing it as an embarrassment to a Big Ten program.

“I thought I retired the trophy, but nobody has ever retired a trophy more embarrassing than Penn State. That is a disgrace for a Big Ten school to play three cupcakes like that. I mean, well, you have LSU and Clemson. You have Miami and Notre Dame. I mean, you have Ohio State hosting Texas. And I can’t even remember what directional school Penn State’s opening with, because it’s that bad.” Finebaum said on "First Take."

But while Finebaum’s rant was certainly animated, it fails to account for the bigger picture regarding Penn State’s schedule. Yes, Penn State opens with three easy matchups against Nevada, FIU and Villanova. However, focusing only on those games ignores the strength of matchups down the stretch of their season. 

Penn State faces two of the toughest opponents in all of college football in Ohio State (on the road) and Oregon (at home). Both these teams are widely expected to make the College Football Playoff once again, with Ohio State coming off a national title and Oregon ending the 2024 regular season ranked No. 1. 

Simply glossing over these opponents is misleading and simply unfair, as it completely ignores the high level competition Penn State must face to contend in the Big Ten. These matchups alone elevate the difficulty of its schedule and provide the important tests that define a playoff-caliber team.

But in addition to that, Penn State must also face several other competitive opponents in 2025, including Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska. Iowa finished 8-5 last season and, for the first time in years, its offense showed signs of life. With its usual strong defense and an improving offense, the Hawkeyes should be even more dangerous this year. 

Indiana surprised many with an impressive 11-2 record in 2024 and now enter 2025 with former California Golden Bear Fernando Mendoza at quarterback, who has earned some first-round draft buzz heading into the upcoming season. 

Nebraska, which went 7-6 last season, is also trending in the right direction. With quarterback Dylan Raiola heading into his sophomore year, the Cornhuskers are expected to take another step forward in their rebuild. 

Penn State's non-conference slate may be easy, but their in-conference matchups more than make up for it.

At the end of the day, Finebaum’s criticism of Penn State’s schedule feels like an unfair critique instead of sound analysis. The Nittany Lions' schedule is not perfect, but with three matchups against 2024 playoff teams and several other competitive squads, it seems far from a “disgrace.”