Gone are the days of non-conference play for Penn State football in 2026.

As Wisconsin gets set to travel to Happy Valley in Week 4, the Nittany Lions must prepare for the nine-week physical gauntlet of Big Ten football.

Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo gave Penn State a chance to test play calling and reconfigure the depth chart, but the experimentation will come with greater consequences beginning Saturday.

The blue and white are eager to face the challenge.

“It’s why you come to Penn State,” Matt Campbell said. “It’s what you want to be a part of, is these special opportunities, starting this week, to play great teams, great coaches, great opponents.”

Campbell breaks the college football season down into four quarters, starting with fall camp and the aforementioned first three games of the season.

Finishing off the first quarter with momentum was a point of emphasis for Campbell, something the team did with relative success, taking down the Bulls by a score of 55-13.

“What were we trying to get out of it? What were the values? Where did we want to be by the time we got to the end of it? How should we design practice to make sure we’re getting those value systems out of it?” were all questions Campbell posed to his team and coaching staff.

The answers helped prepare his group for a successful conference slate.

Two specific areas of play the head coach acknowledged needed improvement were the red zone and third-down offense.

Through three games this season, Penn State has a third-down conversion rate of just 42.1%. It has scored touchdowns on 52.9% of its trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

The Big Ten boasts more physical defenses that will make the Nittany Lions pay if they can’t capitalize on such opportunities.

“I did think we took a little bit of a step back last week in those areas, from a numerical standpoint and really from an execution standpoint,” Campbell said. “We will have to be much better as we go into the game this week for sure.”

Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is one of the guys in charge of leading a Big Ten defense. For him, his vision heading into the matchup with the Badgers and beyond is just as physical as what Campbell expects to see on the other side.

With defensive tackle Armstrong Nnodim and defensive end Elijah Reeder making their returns from injury, Lynn will look to utilize them immediately to bolster the group’s depth.

Doing so will be crucial for mitigating the wear and tear that comes with conference play.

“You need depth in the Big Ten. You need to keep guys fresh. You know, we want to have four to five guys in there that we can play throughout a game, throughout the year,” Lynn said. “It helps keep the guys in front of them fresh. When they’re on the field, we look at them like starters.”

Looking at Wisconsin specifically, Lynn knows the challenge his team will face with a surprisingly explosive Badger offense.

Although Penn State failed its first six Big Ten tests last year, this rendition of the Nittany Lions knows that all opponents with such a designation mustn’t be overlooked.

“They’re going to try to punch us in the mouth,” Lynn said. “They’re a physical team.”

The first conference game of the Campbell era is on the horizon, and while the blue and white still have a lot of work to do, the coaching staff’s prepared mindset is a positive sign the team will be ready to go.

As the Nittany Lions spend the remaining few days before kickoff watching film, practicing, and hitting the gym, anticipation levels among the team and Penn State faithful are as high as ever.

“I think we’ve learned a lot, and we’re gonna continue to learn a lot about ourselves,” Campbell said. “And what a great opportunity to play in this game, in this environment, this coming week.”