FC/OT: Toughest schedules per ESPN…
- Thread starter Midnighter
- Start date
Not sure why you have a problem with this
Obviously the Big Ten and SEC are going to have the most difficult schedules on paper. No other conference is close.
The bottom of the Big Ten remains worse than the bottom of the SEC. The Big Ten is better at the top and middle IMO
I think that you have to be realistic; an 8 win season probably would be in line with the make up of this team and a 9 win season probably would be a slight overachievement. Right now, you have to say that PSU is likely to lose at least to USC, Washington and Michigan and, if things go badly with injuries, other losses are realistic.
With the above said, it's obviously very important for Campbell to have a successful first season to parlay that into positive momentum to close the 2027 recruiting and portal season strongly and hopefully persuade some kids to flip. I can live with an 8 win season if I see that this team is playing good, hard and tough fundamental football the way that they used to under a legendary coach, after whom the field should be named.
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2027 will be a more difficult year (on paper) for Campbell - because he loses a lot of experience (some he brought from Iowa State). Even if the schedule is tough this year, with the relative inexperience projected next year, Campbell should have a better record in 2026 than 2027.
I was thinking the same thing several days ago. That's why he really needs to coach the 2026 team up and get momentum for the upcoming recruiting classes and the portal season. The inexperience of the 2027 team could be mitigated a little bit with a good portal class.
For what it's worth, the odds are sitting right about on 9 regular season wins...makes me think it's pretty realistic to think that 8 is a slight underachievement.
I’d take a 9 win season right now, especially after the total meltdown, incompetence, apathy and chaos of last season; I think that would be a step in the right direction.
8 or 9 wins is expected. I don't think either outcome moves the needle 10+ wins then Campbell will be anointed our savior and if he wins less than 8 people will want his head
If he wins 8, some people will want his head and on this board, every loss will be his fault and proof that he can’t coach. Come on man, keep up.
He could go 12-0 and reach the title game and people like Marshall will want his head.
please quote Marshall saying something negative about him- I must have missed that. Thanks so much.
We're pretending Marshall hasn't bashed the entire hiring process and the hire in his undying, relentless defense of Franklin---if that's the game you want to play then play it--I'm not that stupid--maybe you are
I doubt that, the complainers stay away when they coach they don’t like is winning.
I've got 100s of posts by Marshall...read them for yourself. Stop being his sidekick and take off the blinders
Then it should be easy to find one where he trashed Campbell- so put up or shut up.
You should take your own advice if you think he hasn't consistent criticized the hiring.
Him being subtle doesn't alter reality--just makes it tough for some to see it--open your eyes
I think Marshall has made it eminently clear in the 2027 recruiting thread that no one is allowed to believe, imply or hope that any coach might actually be able to coach (or “coach up” as he likes to mock) a team better than any other coach (especially if that coach was James Franklin). So any improvement can only come through higher high school recruiting star rankings or splash portal acquisitions. The absence of this thus far, he explicitly blames on Kraft and his failure to deliver more NIL money, along with being particularly irked by language Kraft used re: “achievement at the highest level” or something. Although at least tacitly, he seems to imply HCMC has been at best no upgrade vis-a-vis Franklin in recruiting or roster management. And since we’ve already been told there can be no improvement in actual coaching, we are at the very best, no better off than we were before (but as we all know from reading his posts - we’re really probably worse). Other than that, he seems pleased with the hire and excited about the future of Penn State football…
According to past evaluations on this very site, PSU has only 3 games against "teams with a pulse." USC, Michigan and Washington are the season. Washington will likely lose 4 games and the other 2 could easily lose 3. While winning every game, even with the weakest schedule in recent memory is a tall task, beating the teams without a pulse and at least one of 3 remaining competitive teams should be expected. This is not a roster constructed for the future. The Becht v Grunkemeyer decision is evidence of the win now approach. Barring a catastrophic injury, PSU will be favored in 10 or 11 games.