The Penn State Nittany Lions took necessary steps last season to get themselves into the national championship talks. Penn State finished with an 11-1 record and faced the Oregon Ducks in the BIG10 title game but lost.
The Nittany Lions defeated the SMU Mustangs and the Boise State Broncos in the playoffs before losing to the Norte Dame Fighting Irish in the college football playoffs semifinals. During the loss, there was way more blame on quarterback Drew Allar than head coach James Franklin. However, some Nittany Lions fans will still put the blame on Franklin’s shoulders. Is it time for Penn State to win it all next season?
FOX Sports Joel Klatt Has Penn State Nittany Lions Head Coach James Franklin Under Pressure To Win It All Next Yeat Season
Foxsports.com writer Joel Klatt listed into different categories which head coaches are under the most pressure to perform next season. In one category, he has a category called, “It’s Time”. To no surprise, he has Franklin on this list. The Nittany Lions head coach has not yet been to the big game with the program.
“Everyone around that program knows it’s time. This program has built itself on such solid footing over the last few years, reaching the CFP semifinal and playing for a Big Ten title last year. Yet, Penn State still doesn’t have that “big” win against a team that’s on equal footing or superior to it.
Now, Penn State and Franklin have done something that’s incredibly difficult to do: They don’t lose to teams they should beat. So, they’re incredibly consistent. That’s a credit to Franklin, but it’s time to win a big one.
Franklin will feel the pressure when Penn State hosts Oregon on Sept. 27. It’s a White Out Game, too, which is one of the best environments in college football. Oregon is bringing in a new quarterback and doesn’t have a veteran under center like it’s had the last few years. As good as Oregon has been, the talent in this game is equal, especially with all the players Penn State is returning.
If Penn State loses that game, all anyone will talk about is that James Franklin can’t win these games. We’ll start to wonder “Oh no, is this going to work?” Luckily for Penn State, it will have a chance to redeem itself with a game against Ohio State at The Shoe in November. Penn State could also make the Big Ten Championship Game and CFP again.”
There is no doubt that the Nittany Lions will be a Top 10 team entering the 2025 college football season and it is possible that they are top three in the nation. The three games that will decide their playoff football fate will be against Oregon, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Indiana Hoosiers. Penn State will be on the road against Ohio State on November 1 and then the Nittany Lions will host Indiana the week after.
The Hoosiers, the Nittany Lions, the Buckeyes, and the Ducks all made the college football playoffs from the BIG10 conference last season. Penn State could be the third different team from the BIG10 Conference in the last three years who could potentially win the national title. Ohio State won it all last season, and the Michigan Wolverines won it all the year before that. Franklin is no doubt an excellent recruiter, but it is time for him to beat Day and some of the other tough teams.
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