Why Penn State's 2025 Schedule Is Built for a Playoff Run

Nittany Lions coach James Franklin has called this team his best combination of personnel and staff in 12 seasons. He should have added schedule. It brings together the right combination of friendly start, spaced key dates, a core stretch and a nice landing.

Let's start with the start. Yes, Penn State has a preseason, opening with Nevada (122nd in the FP+), FIU (128th) and Villlanova (an FCS team). Franklin loves this non-conference schedule. It's constructed for championship pursuit, not fan appeal. Penn State fans wishing for a title should thank Franklin and the former athletic adminstration for scheduling these noncon games.

Yes, the College Football Playoff recently announced changes to its schedule-assessment model, adding a metric called record strength. The CFP said the changes reward wins over high-quality teams and offer "minimal reward" for wins over lower-quality teams. This could have some potential impact on Penn State, perhaps for seeding, but isn't a big deal beyond upsets.

Penn State also gets bye weeks before its two biggest dates of the season: Sept. 27 at home vs. Oregon and Nov. 1 at Ohio State. The Buckeyes get a bye, too, so that benefit is mitigated, but the Nittany Lions still avoid Big Ten games before their two key schedule points.

Further, the Oregon and Ohio State games land more than a month apart, a nice spacing between those circled calendar dates. And though the Nittany Lions finish the regular season with two road games in three weeks, those appear to be friendly visits to Michigan State (Nov. 15) and Rutgers (Nov. 29). Penn State potentially could clinch a Big Ten title-game berth in Piscataway, N.J.

The most important game is in October

The defining date of Penn State's schedule is Oct. 18, when the Nittany Lions visit the iowa Hawkeyes. That won't be a night game, as NBC is broadcasting USC at Notre Dame in prime time. So this likely will be Penn State's first Big Noon Kickoff appearance of the season. Or 11 a.m. CT in Iowa City.

Penn State should be 6-0 heading to Kinnick Stadium, where two of its last three games have been decided on touchdowns in the last 10 seconds. The Hawkeyes have doomed Penn State seasons before, notably in 2008 and 2021. A loss to Iowa would make the Nov. 1 visit to Ohio State a must-win for playoff seeding purposes.

A few sneaky dates to watch

Penn State won't leave State College until October, when it visits college football's icon neutral site. The Nittany Lions face UCLA on Oct. 4 at the Rose Bowl. The game is one week after Penn State hosts Oregon for the annual "White Out," another iconic college football brand.

UCLA is an unknown, coming off a 5-7 season with new starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. But Penn State labored in its West Coast trip last season, needing overtime to beat USC and remain unbeaten. That's a good two-week stress test for the Nittany Lions.

The other sneaky date is Nov. 22 at home vs. Nebraska, coached by Penn State letterman Matt Rhule. The Cornhuskers are complete wild cards. By November, Rhule could have quarterback Dylan Raiola humming and the team in the AP Top 20. He also might be on a hot seat in Lincoln.

Three games to define the postseason

There's a three-game stretch (buffered by a bye week) that will define the Nittany Lions' season. That's the Oct. 18 visit to Iowa, followed by consecutive games at Ohio State and at home vs. Indiana on Nov. 8. This is the core of Penn State's Big Ten schedule, comprising two returning CFP teams and a potential 2025 contender.

It also includes the only game on the schedule in which Penn State is likely to be the underdog. The Nittany Lions can win two of three and comfortably contend for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game. Lose two, though, and that record strength metric comes into play.

Ultimately, though, Penn State's 2025 schedule gets approval from the just-win perspective. This is a friendly regular-season card upon which the Nittany Lions need to capitalize.

Penn State 2025 Football Schedule