Penn State Is a Top-5 Team — in EA Sports' College Football 26

EA Sports also graded out Penn State's Beaver Stadium positively, calling the venue the second-toughest place to play in the countr.y Beaver Stadium ranked behind only LSU's Tiger Stadium on the list. Penn State moved up four spots from its place in sixth on College Football 25's toughest-places-to play list.

EA Sports released its latest rating in a lengthy how-to-play guide that includes an exhaustive look at game components. The game-maker will tease more ratings as release date approaches.

Penn State readies for a huge 2025 season

EA Sports' algorithm isn't the only one high on Penn State this season. ESPN's College Football Power Index ranked the Nittany Lons fourth entering the summer workout period, an indicator that everyone has high expectations for the team this season.

And why not? Penn State coach James Franklin has perhaps his best team in 12 years at the helm and is driving the most anticipation for a Nittany Lions football season since at least 1999. Penn State returns a third-year starting quarterback working with a second-year offensive coordinator in Andy Kotelnicki, who has three newly acquired transfer receivers with whom to work.

Penn State also hired defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State, where he beat the Nittany Lions for three straight years and helped bring a national championship to Columbus last season. Knowles is eager to work with a defense that includes Durant, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, linebacker Tony Rojas, cornerback AJ Harris and safety Zakee Wheatley.

Further, Penn State has callouses and expectations, having won a school-record 13 games last season and having reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. The combination of getting that far and losing fueled a host of the returns and also Franklin's focus for Year 12.

"Well, obviously it was a tremendous experience for our guys, and they know they can play with anybody," Franklin said after the team's loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. "There's a lot of young guys in that locker room who played. There's a bunch of young guys that just were able to experience it. It's an experience that they'll remember for the rest of their life, this season and how it went.

"And there's going to be a ton of guys coming back for next year that are going to be hungry and are going to be motivated for more. They've gotten a taste of what this feels like and what it looks like
and what it smells like. We'll all be better for it, including myself. We'll be better from this experience because there's so many guys in that locker room that have a chance to come back and use this as fuel and experience to get back here next year and the years after that."

Penn State opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 against Nevada at Beaver Stadium.