It seems pretty clear from this chart that:
Franklin outcoached 4-11. The teams ahead of psu had more talent with the exceptions of tcu and tennessee
I must have missed Illinois, MSU, Iowa etc. A resume of beaten average teams and losing to some does not make a coaching staff great. Good yes, better then some of the underperforming staffs on this list for sure.
Franklin is a real stumble bum. In seven seasons since the sanction "era" PSU is about #8 in total wins. Ahead of every Big 10 Western Conference Team and behind OSU and Michigan (by 2 wins) over the 7 year stretch. So, even with the COVID year and last season, the past 7 have seen PSU out perform LSU, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M , Oregon, USC, Utah, Stanford, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas and Wisky to name a few.
You do realize every team has beaten average teams. People love to act like Penn State the only team who plays "average teams". Take Minnesota for example. If Penn State loses that game Minnesota goes 10-3 and the narrative is Franklin can't beat ranked teams. Penn State bets them and they finish 9-4 and everyone dismisses them as another average team.
I think that he derailed after 2019. He wanted more money and encouraged discussions about him leaving for a better offer. I think this lessened the loyalty of the players and led to mediocre to bad results. Last year's sit outs for the bowl game was a sign of this disaffection.
Franklin asking for a new contract was just as much about forcing the AD to invest in the program as it was his own personal pay, maybe more so. He's been getting more money for facilities and assistant coach salaries to narrow the gap we have against other top programs. Since he and Barbor/Barron weren't always aligned Franklin had to play hard ball. Things should be better now with Neeli/Kraft. Franklin even went out of his way to mention that the 3 of them are aligned in a Rose bowl postgame interview. This is one of the areas where schools like LSU and Bama have recently been a step ahead of PSU. When Saban asks for something, he gets it without much fuss. Franklin doesn't have that luxury so he has forced the hand of the AD through contract negotiations, which will benefit the football program long term regardless of who is coaching. But the good news for all but the Franklin haters, is the AD has mostly complied, so Franklin has stuck around instead of jumping to greener pastures where he might think he has more administration support.
If that was the first time he did it I'd agree, but it was the second time. I don't care how well Franklin does, I want him out of here. Now don't get me wrong as I'll cheer for the Penn State doing well, but I'll never cheer for Franklin.
Highly respected by whom?
It might not be the last time because last I checked, some gaps with other top schools still exist. Take a look at the crappy dorm rooms from this past weekend's player move in pictures as one example. I wouldn't want to live in them as a regular student, let alone as a scholarship football player.
4 top 10 finishes the last 7 years. Joe had 3 his last 15 years. Who was fooling you?
LOL. Using Vegas to support an argument. Vegas gave the 8.5 due to past results and lack of faith in Franklin. This does nothing to support a position of strength. Until Franklin beats a team that is more talented he will not be recognized as a great coach. Beating an above average Utal team won’t change any opinions of his capability. 11-2 is a great season by his standard but none of those wins are great by themselves. He does get credit for winning.
You need to stop complaining about the money. Franklin is at best 13th on the salary parade. Actually. based on this information, he deserves a raise.
Just for future reference, It likely isn't going to get much better than 11-2.
Please define “elite glory” and please explain when we used to be there. Maybe the 80’s (depending on the definition) and that’s a lot of years between then and now that didn’t involve James Franklin and didn’t involve digging out of crippling sanctions.
Again with the overblown sanctions. The best years under Franklin were during that time.
It's the way he went about the money and the total disruption he orchestrated while he pursued more money TWICE over 6 years. TWICE! Total disruption without a care in the world. I'll do a jig the day he's gone. However, I will continue to root for the team.
Maybe, maybe not.
16-17 were his best record totals. 14-15 his best job as a coach. Best win 16, best bowl win 17. Nothing much after that. Utah ehhh.
And 16-17 were not during the sanctions. And you say back to back 7-5 seasons were his best coaching jobs, but the sanctions were overblown….be consistent.
WHAT'S UP WITH?
• Clifford blowing a gasket against another elite team. This was likely his last shot against a top-10 opponent. It was definitely his last shot against the premier program in the Big Ten, which just so happens to be from his home state. As it played out, this was a game where Penn State REALLY needed the veteran quarterback to NOT make colossal errors. And yet he did. Again.
• Penn State going with third-team DT Jordan van den Berg and now second-team linebacker Jonathan Sutherland on the HUGE defensive series after taking a 21-16 lead. The Lions were coming off a 5:44 scoring drive that began in the third quarter, so it was not as if anyone was tired. They paid dearly for not having their best players — including Carter — on the field. Sutherland was late getting to where he needed to be on the second play of OSU’s drive, allowing a 13-yard completion. On the next play, van den Berg took a bad slant and was buried by guard Matthew Jones. Then Sutherland took a terrible angle and ran straight into the tight end Stover. It created a huge gap for Henderson, who busted off the 41-yard TD run.
I was fine with Penn State using heavy defensive rotations deep into the fourth quarter early in the season, to build depth. But this was nuts. When you have a chance to drop the hammer on a team like Ohio State, you do it with your best players. If the Buckeyes beat THEM, shake their hands and move on.
DID YOU NOTICE?
• Defensive end Chop Robinson was back after missing the Minnesota game with an unspecified injury. He came off the bench to contribute one tackle.
• Penn State starting guard Landon Tengwall missed his third straight game with what appears to be a left arm or shoulder injury. He was once again replaced by Hunter Nourzad.
• Starting right guard Caedan Wallace dressed but did not play. He was replaced by the veteran Effner. Effner struggled against Tuimoloah all afternoon. Wallace was knocked out of the Minnesota game with an unspecified injury.
UNANSWERED QUESTION
• What does Penn State do at quarterback? Before the Minnesota game, I said if the Lions wanted to have a legit shot to beat the Buckeyes — and give themselves any chance of climbing back into the College Football Playoff discussion — they had to start true freshman Drew Allar against the struggling Gophers to prepare him for OSU. Six years into his career, we knew who Clifford was. And he wasn’t (and isn't) the guy who beats top-10 teams.
Clifford, who was awful in a loss at Michigan the previous week, started against Minnesota Oct. 22. He overcame an early pick and played outstanding football in being named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (pause) after the blowout win. And then the Buckeyes came to town.
Utah ehhh?
2* from mid majors did not turn into 4* the day sanctions ended. They had 4 year scholarships.
You can practice your dance for about a decade. James will decide if and when he leaves.
