College football is about to look a whole lot different.

The College Football Playoff is officially moving to a 24-team format in 2027, opening the door for more teams, more postseason football, and pretty wild matchups.

The expanded playoff also brings a scheduling change for the Power Four teams, which all agreed to play 10 games against Power Four opponents each season moving forward. That means an additional non-conference matchup with a Power Four team each year, on top of nine Big Ten games.

Penn State already has Syracuse scheduled for 2027 and 2028, but will need to address its non-conference schedule in the future.

Whether it’s an old rival, an old friend, a college football powerhouse, or a team that’s never made the trip to Happy Valley, there’s no shortage of opponents we’d love to see come to State College in the coming years.

Here’s what our staff said.

Ella Cofone: Pitt

Folks want to see Pitt against Penn State again, so what better opportunity than the playoffs?

Pitt and Penn State need to step it up to make it. Since conference differences ruined the Keystone Rivalry for college football, this expansion gives both teams a chance to duke it out on an even bigger stage.

A regular-season matchup against the Panters would also suffice. The Nittany Lions do need more Power Four games in 2029.

Jake Speicher: Notre Dame

I don’t even need to say why this game would be electric, but I’ll do it anyway. Penn State needs revenge for the College Football Playoff semifinal.

While Notre Dame likely wouldn’t schedule a regular-season matchup with Penn State, that doesn’t matter. Imagine the Fighting Irish trying to grapple with a White Out atmosphere for the first time in 20 years, in freezing-cold Beaver Stadium in playoff conditions. The mere thought of the environment sends chills down my spine.

Personally, as someone from northeastern Pennsylvania, where Notre Dame fandom runs deep, nothing would make me happier than sticking it to every Fighting Irish fan I know.

Tyler Eyerman: Alabama

I would love to see Penn State play an SEC opponent in Beaver Stadium, specifically Alabama. Two legendary programs with iconic uniforms, and it’s time for the SEC to prove they can play in the cold.

Zach Paulhamus: Virginia Tech

Penn State and Virginia Tech have somehow never played each other on the football field, despite being just a few hours apart. The two programs were supposed to play in 2020 and 2025, but those games never happened.

Now, with James Franklin at the helm in Blacksburg, Virginia, there’s no better way to “welcome” him back to Beaver Stadium than a playoff game.

After 12 seasons in Happy Valley, returning to Beaver Stadium as the opposing head coach would be must-watch television. Penn State fans know too much about Franklin in big games.

Between the history, emotions, and the inevitable Franklin jokes, I don’t think I can name a more entertaining playoff matchup.

Gabriel Alpher: Indiana

Now that the Hoosiers are a consistent College Football Playoff threat, it would be fun to see them come back to Beaver Stadium for a rematch of last season’s thriller, this time in a playoff, White Out setting.

The Nittany Lions will face off with Indiana in the regular season in both 2027 and 2028, so it would also be a rematch with higher stakes.

Collin Ward: Pitt

My first choice would have been Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish just scheduled a series with Illinois that likely satisfies the requirement to play 10 qualifying games. If you can’t get choice No. 1, why not schedule Pennsylvania’s No. 2?

Bringing back the rivalry between Pitt and Penn State would be great for the state and great for Penn State. I’m tired of Pitt fans hiding behind an average basketball program on Twitter. Let’s schedule the Panthers in a real sport.

Holden Mostofsky: Texas A&M

A battle between teams with massive stadiums that are always almost elite but can’t win a championship would be awesome to see.

Penn State and Texas A&M are typically in the same boat, just in different conferences, so I want to see which team would come out on top.

Oscar Orellana: Notre Dame

I’d want to see Penn State host Notre Dame in the new playoff format. It’d be a full-circle moment for the Nittany Lions to get another crack at the Fighting Irish after coming so close to knocking them out in the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame coming to Happy Valley would be cinema and a great blue-blood game.

Michael Zeno: LSU

Two of the best environments in college sports. Show the Tigers what the White Out truly is.  

Jamie Lynch: Notre Dame

Penn State and Notre Dame share one of college football’s most underrated rivalries. When the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish used to face off, it was a darn big deal.

Notre Dame was the first team Penn State played in the first all-stadium White Out back in 2007, and I’ve seen clips of Derrick Williams’ punt return more times than I can count.

I’ve long advocated for these two teams to square off more frequently, and I think a playoff matchup at Beaver Stadium would do numbers.

Plus, I’m still not over the 2025 Orange Bowl — at all. Screw that game.

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