Penn State hosts Wisconsin for Homecoming in 2026; will it be in primetime?

Penn State will host Wisconsin in State College on Sept. 26. The game will mark a couple of firsts for new head coach Matt Campbell. It will be both his first Homecoming game at Beaver Stadium and also his initial Big Ten contest as the leader of the Nittany Lions. And, we now know more about when it’ll start.

Kickoff for the Lions-Badgers showdown will be no later than 5 p.m. ET. A television assignment is not out. An exact start time will come out no later than 12 days before kickoff.

Penn State leads the all-time series with the Badgers 12-9. It is on a six-game winning streak that dates back to 2024. Campbell, for what it’s worth, never faced the Badgers at Iowa State. But, he will do so during his first year in State College when, unlike the rainy Blue-White practice, plenty of fans should be in the stands from start to finish.

“In a downpour today, to see this crowd and the amount of people that came out to support our football program, I just think every opportunity to show our young men in our program how special it is to play here at Penn State and what it means,” Campbell said in April. “I don’t know if it’s anything that I learned because I think it’s one of the things that I’ve been absolutely grateful for from the day that I’ve touched down here, is understanding it’s bigger than me and it’s bigger than our players.

“What we get to represent and what we are training to be able to represent every fall Saturday is really powerful. Kids clinic last night was unbelievable. Almost 500 kids in our indoor. To see and feel the energy walking into this stadium today. There are not many places that you get to be able to be a part of something like this.”

Reviewing the Lions’ known kick times so far

Here’s the list:

Sept. 5: vs. Marshall, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sept. 12: at Temple, Noon ET (ESPN2)
Sept. 19: vs. Buffalo, Noon ET (BTN)
September 26: vs. Wisconsin, TBD, but no later than 5 p.m. ET (TBD)

Oct. 2: at Northwestern, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
Oct. 10: vs. USC
Oct. 17: at Michigan
October 24: BYE
Oct. 31: vs. Purdue

Nov. 7: at Washington
Nov. 14: vs. Minnesota
November 21: vs.Rutgers
Nov. 28: at Maryland

Taking an early look at Penn State-Wisconsin

It’s a big season for Badgers head coach Luke Fickell. Many view him as one of college football’s top hot-seat candidates. He enters his fifth year in Madison with a record of 17-21. Wisconsin is also in the midst of a two-year postseason drought.

Evan Flood of BWI sister site Badger Blitz writes that he feels good about the Badgers’ quarterback situation coming out of spring ball. He previously played at Old Dominion under former Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne.

“Colton Joseph might be the best quarterback in the Luke Fickell era,” Flood writes. “I know that doesn’t say a whole lot, but if he can stay healthy and if he’s with the right offensive coordinator, Wisconsin has the potential for a turnaround this season.

“I think it clicked for Joseph roughly midway through spring ball. There’s still inconsistency, but I don’t see the same lows that I did with Tyler Van Dyke and Billy Edwards. At the same time, there’s a higher ceiling. Where Joseph may even have the edge over Tanner Mordecai when all is said and done is that Joseph uses his legs to set up the pass, whereas Mordecai loved to abandon the play early and take off. Joseph knows how to buy time in the pocket, extend plays, and hurt defenses when they think he’s going to take off.”

Read more about the Badgers here.