Where Does Penn State Go from Here?
After yet another heartbreaking loss to a top 10 team last week, many Penn Staters were calling for the firing of head coach James Franklin, a man who has failed to prove he can lead any of his teams to college football supremacy with an abysmal 4-21 record against top 10 teams. Following the defeat to Oregon, Franklin emphasized the focus on next week’s game against UCLA, a team that was heading into the matchup winless and had just fired their head coach. Expectations were high for the Nittany Lions going across the country, with Vegas setting the line at -25.5. Unfortunately for the Penn State faithful, the outcome on Saturday was not what most were expecting, as UCLA led 27-7 at halftime, and ended up winning 42-37 against the somehow proclaimed top 10 team.
After being ranked second in the AP preseason poll, Penn State is currently unranked with two losses as its playoff hopes continue to tank. So the question remains: Where does Penn State go from here? This has been looming for years with Franklin under the helm, failing to get over the hump of beating ranked opponents, and the answer may be harsher than what people may think, and that is to say goodbye to James Franklin. This season is already lost, as their hopes for the playoffs continue dwindling on top of their difficult schedule, with games at Ohio State and home against Indiana, both of which Penn State could easily lose. By firing Franklin, this program would instinctively have a culture change, one that could finally turn this team into one of the more elite teams in college football.
The other pressing issue for Penn State has been their quarterback, Drew Allar-someone who has received plenty of criticism for his forced throws, poor accuracy, and inept in-game decisions. This has been an eerily similar story for this team over the past few years. So, much of the demise of loyal Penn Staters, James Franklin, who has been the problem for years, will continue to be if something isn’t done soon. As for what the rest of this season will look like, Penn State will probably finish with seven or eight wins at best, unless a significant change is made soon, Drew Allar will continue to underperform, and we will finally see this team for what they really are and have been for years: frauds.
