You read that right, folks. The Matt Campbell era is 100 days out.

Penn State football is set to kick off the 2026 season at 3:30 p.m. on September 5 against Marshall on FS1. It’s truly a new era for the squad. No James Franklin. No Drew Allar. Not even the same Beaver Stadium.

A different era means infinite possibilities. Here are 100 things that 2026 possibly has in store for the Nittany Lions.

1. An undefeated season.
2. A Big Ten title.
3. A National Championship.
4. Three consecutive non-conference shutouts.
5. Dropping 60 points on Marshall to set the tone.
6. A Thundering Herd literally runs out on the field once it sees the thumping Campbell is putting on them.
7. The sound from Beaver Stadium’s new seating level causes six false starts against Marshall.
8. Koby Howard breaks out for 200+ yards in the opening game.
9. Penn State changes the food in the new press box (I want my chicken tenders, please.)
10. The Onward State football beat gets car troubles on the way to Philadelphia, of all places.
11. Jaxon Smolik gets his lick back.
12. Saquon Barkley pulls up to Penn State-Temple.
13. Penn State plays at Lincoln Financial Field with the Eagles’ paint on the field.
14. Matt Campbell coaches the best game ever coached on Nick Sirianni’s home turf.
15. An eagle and an owl watch from the top stands of Lincoln Financial Field.
16. One thousand Temple fans show up to the game (this one might be a little far-fetched).
17. There is a Penn State fan on Penn State fan crime in the stands. These Delco people are something.
18. Cooper Cousins plants a Penn State flag on the field for the real Battle of Pennsylvania.
19. Josh Allen?!
20. Never mind, it’s the Buffalo Bulls.
21. The Buffalo players try running on the track to warm up pregame, then realize they’re at a proper college football institution.
22. Penn State is up by 30 at half, so Pat Kraft calls for a Running of the Bulls.
23. The bulls score four times, and it’s a game again.
24. Buffalo ends up… winning?
25. Every Penn State overreacts to the loss and calls the season quits.
26. Campbell holds an emergency presser that the team will be right against Wisconsin.
27. A whole pack of Badgers comes to town. Russell Wilson style.
28. Russell Wilson actually suits up under center for Wisconsin.
29. The Penn State secondary gets cooked.
30. Penn State wins its first Big Ten game under Campbell.
31. Penn State loses its first Big Ten game under Campbell.
32. Penn State goes to overtime in its first Big Ten game under Campbell.
33. The Onward State football beat skips a whole week of classes because we are just too dang excited to go to Chicago.
34. Northwestern’s new Ryan Field is genuinely beautiful.
35. Penn State fans relive horrible memories of October 11, 2025.
36. The Nittany Lions take a team picture at the Chicago bean.
37. The Nittany Lions and Wildcats get in a dawg fight at around 8 p.m. on ALOHA FRIDAY GAMEDAY.
38. The Nittany Lions get their lick back.
39. The Wildcats show that they are still the superior cat
40. The Onward State football beat falls asleep writing postgame stories because it’s 2 a.m. in Chicago.
41. James Franklin goes on a wild tell-all interview on College Gameday the next morning because he, too, relived bad memories of October 11, 2025 (dang Friday games).
42. Drew Allar goes on a wild tell-all interview after throwing 400+ yards and four touchdowns on the Colts on Sunday (go get ’em, kid).
43. WHITE OUT WEEK (possibly/hopefully).
44. The USC football team misses its flight to Happy Valley because of that LA traffic.
45. Penn State fans camp out and light fireworks outside of USC’s hotel.
46. USC pulls up to Beaver Stadium in a Trojan horse.
47. “No one can stand between me and home. Not even the Gods.”
48. Christopher Nolan pulls up and leads pregame festivities as the Odyssey wraps up its theatrical run (three months is a long time).
49. ZOMBIE NATION
50. White Out football. You know how it goes.
51. Campbell registers his first signature win as Penn State’s head coach.
52. Penn State loses, and everybody freaks out and loses their mind, and Campbell is immediately put in the gutter for no good reason.
53. Somehow, Allar returns and throws another game-losing interception.
54. Michigan week.
55. Campbell immediately gets the praise of literally every Penn State fan that ever lived.
56. Campbell lays down the “can’t win big games” allegations until 2027 at least.
57. Sherrone Moore pitches himself to join Campbell’s staff on social media. It’s embarrassing.
58. Big House = Big Win.
59. Purdue on Halloween. The least scary thing possible.
60. On the other hand, Happy Halloween, Purdue.
61. Campbell makes it mandatory that every player arrive at the game in a Halloween costume. Wouldn’t that be cool?
62. The Onward State football beat wears costumes to the press box.
63. There is some sort of football player scandal when the team goes out after the win (I’m looking at you, Gavin McKenna).
64. West Coast trip!
65. The runway is a perfect length for the team’s flight to Seattle.
66. The Onward State football beat drives to Seattle.
67. 67
68. A husky is no match for a lion. Thank you, next.
69. P.J. Fleck takes off his tie.
70. Campbell’s aura makes Fleck copy his flow.
71. Fleck starts curving the brim.
72. Fleck abandons Minnesota because Campbell is just that guy.
73. Penn State beats Minnesota by default.
74. Penn State beats Rutgers 70-0 in the final home game of the season.
75. The Penn State press box offers some of those iconic SHI Stadium chili dogs in honor of the Scarlet Knights coming to town (please).
76. Rutgers is kicked out of the Big Ten for its disgraceful performance.
77. Who would’ve thought Mike Locksley would still be here and not Franklin?
78. Locksley and Campbell share a kind and sportsmanlike postgame handshake.
79. Locksley takes a random shot at Franklin in his postgame presser.
80. The Onward State football beat encounters a turtle in College Park.
81. Penn State and Virginia Tech face off in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Beaver Stadium.
82. Mike Rhoades is booed on the jumbotron at some point in the season.
83. Rocco Becht will be on the fringe of the Heisman conversation until a stinker against Washington.
84. Taylor Mouser and Ryan Clanton shotgun some beers with traveling fans after beating Michigan.
85. Neeli Bendapudi joins them.
86. Kraft joins them.
87. The squad has a little too much fun.
88. Some of the bats in West Halls escape and bite a Penn State player, causing a team-wide three-day quarantine.
89. The Joe Paterno statue is found, and Campbell orders that it be put back up.
90. A James Franklin statue is announced, and the stadium is vandalized.
91. Franklin’s statue talks are laid to rest by Bendapudi.
92. The football team plays pickleball for team bonding, and all flip to play that, forcing the NCAA to make pickleball a Division I sport.
93. Beaver Stadium becomes the premier pickleball venue in the world.
94. State College becomes the pickleball capital of the world.
95. Campbell switches to a flat brim.
96. Campbell gets carried on the shoulders of the players at one point during the season.
97. Howard is in the top 10 in the Big Ten in receiving yards.
98. Carson Hansen and James Peoples beef a little bit about splitting carries.
99. Mikal Bridges convinces the Nova Knicks to come to town for a game.
100. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is probably at the free-throw line right now.