EA Sports’ College Football 27 is almost here, which means college football fans across the world have been graced with a new set of ratings.

From individual players to teams to stadiums, EA Sports and its fans take the rankings system very seriously. These numbers will help users understand how the new game operates and how each program is expected to perform this upcoming season.

We decided to dive into a multitude of Penn State ratings to see how the Nittany Lions stack up against the rest of the nation.

Player Ratings

The top seven Nittany Lions in overall rankings are all transfers from Iowa State. Matt Campbell has mentioned on multiple occasions that he believes in the construction of this roster, and EA Sports has validated that belief.

Free safety Jeremiah Cooper leads the charge for Penn State with a 91 overall. The Iowa State transfer also holds the highest number for speed out of the group, at 93, and follows closely behind Cam Wallace for the team’s top speedster. 

Tight end Benjamin Brahmer is second on the list with an 88 overall. Two of his strongest features are his strength and injury rating, as is typical for a 6’7” 255-pound tight end. Those ratings are listed as 84 and 87, respectively. But Brahmer’s most prominent number is perhaps his 95 awareness, good for second best on the team.

Rocco Becht takes home the bronze for overall ratings. His 96 injury rating marks the highest durability on the team, as does his 97 awareness. Becht is currently the No. 19 quarterback in the nation, according to EA Sports. Big Ten foes Dante Moore and Julian Sayin sit at No. 1 and No. 2.

Caleb Bacon and Carson Hansen round out the top five for the Nittany Lions, with both listed at 87 overall. Hansen’s 89 speed rating makes him the slowest out of Penn State’s four running backs, but that is more a testament to the strength of the room than anything else.

Similarly, Bacon’s 78 in agility is the lowest out of the Nittany Lion linebacker group. However, his 84 in strength makes up for it, roughly 13 points higher than the rest of the team’s average rating. 

Some other notable numbers include Chimdy Onoh’s 96 strength and Wallace’s 93 agility and 92 change of direction, three category-leading values.

Marcus Neal Jr., Chase Sowell, James Peoples, Tony Rojas, and Anthony Donkoh are ranked five through 10 overall and are poised to be some of the best players on the field for Penn State this fall.

Team Ratings

Penn State is the No. 26-ranked team in college football in the 2027 edition of the game, a significant drop from the previous version, which had it at No. 4.

The Nittany Lion holds an 86 rating for offense, an 81 for defense, and an 83 overall, four points lower than last season.

Fortunately or unfortunately for Penn State, the Big Ten continues to strengthen with each passing year and is currently the best conference in college football (don’t listen to those folks down south). Conference rivals Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana are all on the podium, accounting for the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 team spots, respectively. 

USC sits at No. 15 and Michigan No. 16, two teams the Nittany Lions will face in 2026. Washington is No. 29 overall, another school on Penn State’s calendar. 

Buffalo is by far the lowest-rated school on Matt Campbell and company’s schedule this fall. The Bulls “boast” an overall team rating of 72, putting them at No. 122 in the rankings. For context, only 138 schools are represented in the game.

Stadium Pulse

This is a category where Penn State tends to shine. Thank you, fans.

Beaver Stadium is currently rated as the third toughest place to play, according to EA Sports, trailing LSU’s Tiger Stadium and Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium. The 2026 edition of the game had Penn State at No. 2.

Behind the mayhem of gameday in Happy Valley, and most notably the White Out, is Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium, and Oregon’s Autzen Stadium (take that, Ducks fans). Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium, Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, and Texas A&M’s Kyle Field complete the top-10.

The toughest place the Nittany Lions will have to travel to this season is Michigan Stadium, A.K.A. the second-largest in the nation. The Big House sits at No. 12.