The easy answer for Penn State is to move on.
To come to the realization that James Franklin is only going to get the Nittany Lions so far. That he has proven he can’t get them over the hump, Saturday’s loss to Ohio State the latest example of Franklin coming up small in a big spot.
There are numerous instances now of Penn State under Franklin not rising to the occasion when the games increase in importance. It led 10-0 on Saturday, and managed just a field goal over the final three quarters. The Nittany Lions’ lone touchdown was a pick-six. Fans went after Franklin following the loss, chanting for his firing. He got into it briefly with one of the hecklers, seen asking him: “If you’re gonna be man enough to talk, what’s your name?”
The ugly numbers since he took over in 2014:
– 1-10 against Ohio State, including eight straight losses.
– 3-18 against Associated Press top-10 teams.
– Zero trips to the College Football Playoff.
Yet, here’s the conundrum: Penn State has become a strong program under Franklin. It has won at least 10 games five times, and this season will likely be the sixth. It has finished in the top-10 of the Associated Press rankings four times. If it wins out, and the remaining schedule features Washington and Maryland in Happy Valley and trips to Minnesota and Purdue, Penn State should be selected for the expanded playoff. It is, in the least, firmly in the mix if that happens.
“There’s nobody looking in the mirror harder than I am,” Franklin told reporters, when asked specifically about Penn State’s problems against Ohio State. “I’ll say this and I’ve said it before, that 99 percent of the programs across college football would die to do what we’ve been able to do in our time here. … “But I also understand that when you’re at a place like Penn State, there’s really, really high expectations.”
Penn State fans don’t want to hear about all of those other programs after another mind-numbingly frustrating loss to the Buckeyes, another narrow defeat to Ohio State that felt like a rerun. In this current eight-game losing streak to Ohio State, five of the losses have come by single figures.
But Franklin is right. The Nittany Lions are in a good place, and will continue to be under his watch. They may not be included among the very best in the sport, but they are on the next level, and that shouldn’t be dismissed. He recruits well, produces pros and wins a lot more than he loses.
Look, Franklin has his obvious warts. The big-game shortcomings aren’t going away. But Penn State could also do a lot worse, and who knows what new problems the next coach would present. Those fans should take a look at Michigan, uncertain to even reach a bowl game, under new coach Sherrone Moore. Odds are the next coach would be a downgrade.
At this point, I don’t know what to make of the championship picture. Everyone seems to have holes, reasons to question them.
One week, Georgia looks like the Georgia everyone expected by crushing Texas on the road, and then it struggles with 4-4 Florida on Saturday. Ohio State gives Oregon all it can handle a few weeks ago, but is fortunate last Saturday to beat Nebraska in Columbus, Ohio and rebounds by winning at Penn State. Just when it looked like Texas A&M was a true contender, it suffers a brutal loss to unranked South Carolina on Saturday.
Oregon is the one school that has remained consistent, following up the win over Ohio State with three straight blowouts of Purdue, Illinois and Michigan. Without a top-25 team left on their schedule, the Ducks feel like a safe bet to reach the Big Ten championship game. But take away that win over the Buckeyes, and Oregon has a host of one-sided victories over weak competition.
It’s time to look at BYU as the team to beat in the Big 12. The Cougars are undefeated, crushed preseason favorite Kansas State, won at surprising SMU and their toughest game left is a trip to average-at-best Arizona State.
Nobody expected this kind of season. BYU won five games a year ago and was picked to finish 13th in the Big 12. It’s the first week of November, and it is all alone atop the conference, fueled by its balance, with an offense and defense that are both ranked in the top-30 in points scored and allowed. Kalani Sitake should be a National Coach of the Year contender. He has 8-0 BYU on pace for its most wins since 2001 (12).
