Losing to a top-10 team was expected for James Franklin and Penn State when they fell to then-No. 6 Oregon. An unwanted expectation, but still expected. Losing to an unranked, winless team, however, was never in the cards. Yet that’s what happened in Week 6 of college football, when the No. 7 Nittany Lions lost 42-37 to UCLA.
For the first time since 1985, an 0-4 team beat an AP Top 10 opponent, further framing the current state of Franklin’s tenure in Happy Valley. But despite such a demoralizing defeat, is it really wise to fire Franklin?
The Athletic’s Chris Vannini notes that Penn State can’t fire Franklin unless it’s willing to pay around $50 million in buyout money. Instead, a mutual parting might have to be the solution.
“But unless Franklin accomplishes something in the next month that he hasn’t shown the ability to do yet, it might benefit everyone to consider the idea of amicably parting ways at season’s end,” Vannini wrote.
Franklin, who is 104-44 in 12 seasons at Penn State, would likely find his next job quickly, despite his 4-20 record against top-10 opponents.
“He’s a good coach, and the cost for him to leave is just $2 million. The term ‘mutually part ways’ is usually a lie. It wouldn’t have to be in this case,” Vannini added.
Penn State Was Supposed to Be 2025’s Big Ten National Champion
The Nittany Lions fell just short of reaching the College Football Playoff national championship last year, losing to Notre Dame in the semifinal. But there was strong belief Penn State would follow in the footsteps of Ohio State and Michigan, adding another Big Ten national title.
Both the Wolverines and Buckeyes assembled all-star rosters with veteran leadership from high school recruits and transfer portal pickups, all coached by some of the top assistants in the country the last two seasons. Franklin followed this blueprint almost to the letter. Yet after the first weekend in October, the Nittany Lions are 3-2 and unranked.
All signs point to Penn State missing the playoff, which would be a catastrophic failure of a season — and put Franklin firmly on the hot seat. Some, like PSU Collegian’s Lyle Alenstein, say it’s time to move on.
“In turn it’s time to move on,” Alenstein wrote. “Those same Penn State fans that aren’t happy with a 10-2 season aren’t going to be happy with what comes next, as whoever fills Franklin’s shoes won’t produce that record right away, but with a new coach comes a rebuild and a rebuild is needed to strive for bigger aspirations.”
Where Does Penn State Go From Here?
If Penn State can lose to an 0-4 UCLA team it was favored to beat by more than 25 points, what’s off the table? The season isn’t entirely over with seven games remaining, but the feeling around State College is anything but positive.
The Nittany Lions still have big matchups on deck. They’ll be back home at Beaver Stadium in Week 7 against Northwestern, then travel to face an always defensively tough Iowa team, followed by Franklin’s constant nemesis, No. 1 Ohio State. After that it’s No. 7 Indiana at home, Michigan State on the road, Nebraska at home and a trip to Rutgers to close the regular season.
None of these can be viewed as guaranteed wins now — just as Franklin’s job can’t be viewed as guaranteed any longer.
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