James Franklin has been the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 10 years and is the second-longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten. He’s already fourth in Penn State coaching history with 88 victories and has finished four seasons with teams ranked in the final AP Top 10. However, Franklin’s performance in big games has come under scrutiny, and for good reason.
James Franklin’s Record vs. AP Ranked Teams
“Big Game James” Franklin is not. The Nittany Lions are 13-25 against AP Top 25 teams with him at the helm. It’s been a bit more digestible since Penn State’s Big Ten title-winning 2016 campaign, standing at 14-19, but a losing record is a losing record.
PSU’s last ranked win came against the Illinois Fighting Illini in Week 4 (21-7), with the last loss coming at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels in last year’s Peach Bowl (38-25). The program’s next AP matchup? The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes in State College, Penn., at Noon ET on Saturday — one of the biggest games of the season.
Franklin’s Record vs. Top 10 Teams
If you thought Franklin’s record against Top 25 teams was rough, wait until you find out he’s 3-17 against Top 10 opponents. Most of those losses have come against Ohio State and the Michigan Wolverines, including one each last season.
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The Nittany Lions’ last Top 10 victory was in the 2022 Rose Bowl when QB Sean Clifford and Co. rocked the Utah Utes 35-21 in Pasadena, Calif.
Franklin’s Record vs. Top 5 Teams
If you thought Franklin’s record against Top 10 teams was rough, wait until you find out he’s 1-12 against Top 5 opponents. Sorry, Nittany Lions. It’s no joking matter, but it is surprising how comically bad Franklin has been against elite competition.
Penn State fans remember their lone Top 5 victory because it occurred in front of them at Beaver Stadium. No. 2-ranked Ohio State came to town with Penn State unranked following losses to the Pittsburgh Panthers and Michigan early in 2016.
Yet, the Nittany Lions, who had Trace McSorley under center, Saquon Barkley in the backfield, and Chris Godwin and Mike Gesicki outside, scored 17 unanswered in the fourth quarter to secure the upset as 19.5-point home underdogs.
Franklin’s Record in the Big Ten Championship
After back-to-back 7-6 campaigns to kick off his tenure, Franklin led the Nittany Lions to a 10-2 regular-season record and a spot in their first — and most recent — Big Ten Championship Game.
Their opponent? The 10-2 Wisconsin Badgers whose only losses were to Michigan and Ohio State. The result was one of the most exciting Big Ten title matches of the decade, as Wisconsin, led by an elite defense featuring EDGE T.J. Watt and LB T.J. Edwards, roared out to a 28-14 halftime lead.
Yet, McSorley and Barkley quickly erased the deficit with a 14-point third quarter before outscoring the Badgers 10-0 in the final frame for the 38-31 victory.
That should have turbocharged Penn State’s push into college football’s elite. The Nittany Lions got close again in 2017, going 11-2 with losses by a combined four points, but stalled thereafter. Franklin thought the program squandered its momentum by not investing more heavily after 2016.
That 2016 season should have launched Penn State into college football’s elite. They nearly broke through again in 2017 with an 11-2 record, falling short by a combined four points in their losses. But momentum slipped, and the program has yet to make the Big Ten Championship since and still hasn’t made its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Franklin’s Record vs. Ohio State
Franklin’s Nittany Lions have long been the third fiddle to conference heavyweights Ohio State and Michigan, owning a 4-16 record against the two programs.
Penn State has at least dispatched the Wolverines a few times in Franklin’s tenure. But the Buckeyes have had the program’s number, going 9-1 against Franklin and 5-0 under head coach Ryan Day.
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Franklin will have a shot at redemption in Happy Valley on Saturday, as his undefeated and No. 3-ranked Nittany Lions host the one-loss and No. 4-ranked Buckeyes.
Ohio State is only two games removed from dropping a 32-31 thriller against the Oregon Ducks and nearly lost again to Nebraska last week 21-17. On the flip side, Penn State is 8-0 for the first time since 2019, but that may not be a comfortable spot for Franklin.
The Nittany Lions were undefeated in 2017 (7-0), 2018 (4-0), 2019 (8-0), and 2023 (6-0) before the Buckeyes ended each streak.
While PSU could theoretically lose the game, still make the Big Ten title match, and earn a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff, it would mark another failure for Franklin and cause another uproar from the fan base.
The stakes are clear: Franklin has a chance to redefine his legacy, silence the doubters, and take a true step toward college football’s elite — or face more questions about whether the Nittany Lions can ever reach that next level with his hands at the controls.
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