It has been a while since Penn State celebrated a win on the football field. If you have lost track, Penn State's last win was over a month ago, with a Week 3 rout of Buffalo. The 2026 season, the first under head coach Matt Campbell, has certainly not gone according to plan in Happy Valley, and any threat of making a push for the College Football Playoff has long been put to rest. But the Nittany Lions are coming off a bye week with five games remaining in the season. There is still time to finish this transitionary season with some momentum for the future. First up after the bye week is a home game against Purdue, a team that has taken some steps forward this season under head coach Barry Odom.

Here are our final score and player of the game predictions for Penn State's Week 9 game against Purdue, along with some brief thoughts on the matchup.

Kevin McGuire, Lead Writer

Maybe it is hopeless optimism,but I think Penn State's offense looks a bit more consistent an formiudable this week. The bye week may have come at a good time for Penn State, as Rocco Bcht could potentially be getting his top playmaker back on the field with the reported return of wide receiver Koby Howard trending toward reality. Penn State will need the offense to be in rhythm, because Purdue is loaded with offensive firepower through the air and on the ground. The Nittany Lions will have a big test in slowing down Purdue's Fame Ijeboi, who has had his ups and downs this season. Will it be pretty? Not likely. Will it go down to the wire? Perhaps. Will Penn State's losing streak come to an end? Sure. Why not?

Paul White, Contributor

I think this is the game Penn State finally ends the losing streak. We had some time off and get to play a bad defense in the first game back. As long as Rocco Becht and the offense limit the turnovers, then they should be able to pull out a win

Christopher Sheppard, Contributor

Coming off a bye week, this could be a very weird game for the blue and white that could come down to one factor: whether or not the run defense can slow down breakout star Fane Ijeboi. In case you don’t remember, before the bye, the Nittany Lions were gashed on the ground by both Northwestern and Michigan, so that will be something to look out for. I do think the offense will look much improved, but the defense may not have as much fun in this one.