A new era of Penn State football begins under the direction of head coach Matt Campbell in just two days.

Penn State opens its 2026 campaign against the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 3:30 p.m. The Nittany Lions have a whole new look with Campbell, an experienced Rocco Becht under center, and, for the first time in years, moderate expectations.

The opening line for Saturday’s contest against Marshall is set at -24.5, favoring the Nittany Lions, and the money line has Penn State as a heavy favorite at -2800, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Additionally, the over/under line is set at 54.5.

Ninety percent of bettors have taken Penn State’s moneyline, according to the sportsbook, and a mere 29% have taken the spread in favor of the Thundering Herd. In 2025, Penn State covered the spread at a 38.5% clip with a 5-8 record against the spread; Marshall covered 58.3% of their games with a 7-5 record.

The Thundering Herd are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025, when they posted a 5-7 record with quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson.

Del Rio-Wilson will return as the team’s quarterback, along with most of last season’s offense, which averaged 30.8 points per game, though they took losses in the backfield to the transfer portal.

Marshall will face off against a defense with a new identity and a new coordinator, D’Anton Lynn —a former Penn State football player. Lynn jumped on board with Campbell after a two-year stint at USC as their defensive coordinator. Before he began his tenure, the Trojans were ranked 87th nationally in total defense, and following his first season in 2023, they soared to 10th overall.

Playing in the Sun Belt Conference, Marshall is among the top offenses, but Del Rio-Wilson and his returning teammates will meet their match against a Power Four opponent with one of the most proven young coordinators in college football.

Entering 2026, Penn State (+6500) sits next to programs such as USC (+3500), Michigan (+4000), and Florida (+7000) among the top teams to win the National Championship.