Judge Penn State's 'Entire Body of Work,' James Franklin Asks

In preparing for Ohio State last week, Penn State coach James Franklin was thorough to the point of considering even what he might say were his team to win for the first time since 2016.

"When I talk about our process of being prepared for that game, and then literally what I was going to say in the press conference after getting that win, it was going to be obviously to praise the players," Franklin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "What was the difference this year in being able to get that win? It was going to be about the players and some other things that I wanted to talk about. But that didn't happen."

Instead, Franklin was forced to explain a 20-12 loss to Ohio State, his seventh straight in the series and ninth in 10 games. Big Ten teams haven't much more productive, with only Purdue (3-7), Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa (2-8 each) having better records than Penn State in their last 10 games vs. the Buckeyes. Still, Franklin's attempt to "close the gap" on the nation's top-five teams runs squarely through Ohio State and hasn't gained any significant ground. For that, Franklin accepted responsibility.

"When it doesn't happen," the head coach continued, "it is ultimately on me and my responsibility, there’s no doubt about that. There’s no gray area about that whatsoever."

Saturday's Penn State-Ohio State game generated the third-highest viewing audience of the college football season, according to FOX Sports, peaking at nearly 9.96 million viewers. The aftermath generated as much questioning of Penn State as praise for the Buckeyes. Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde wrote that Penn State isn't truly elite. The Athletic's Ari Wasserman wondered whether people need to reevaluate Franklin's program. And Franklin, who didn't want to discuss the big picture immediately after the game, addressed a follow-up question about fan expectations Tuesday.

"I'm actually glad you asked the question, because I wish I would have answered it on Saturday, although I was thinking about that specific game at the time," Franklin said. "I think it's more than fair to judge me and my staff for all of it, right? I mean, that's what it's about. The good, the bad, the consistency, the lack of success in that game, all of it. That's totally fair to be judged by all of those things."

"All of those things" include the following:

An 84-37 career record and .694 winning percentage at Penn State
A .729 winning percentage since 2016, the seventh-best among Power 5 coaches
At least five top-12 rankings in the College Football Playoff over the past seven seasons. Penn State is one of six teams with that distinction
A 3-16 record vs. top-10 teams
A combined 4-15 record vs. Ohio State and Michigan with five consecutive losses
A seven-game losing streak to Ohio State

"I also think it's important to judge the entire body of work, all of it, which I don't need to get into right now because I don't want it to come off the wrong way," Franklin said. "Yeah, I think it's totally fair to be judged based on all those things, the whole body of work, the good and the bad."

Franklin said that he hasn't slept much since Saturday. "You can probably tell from my voice," he added. The coach admitted that Penn State's staff has spent more time dissecting this loss that previous wins. "That definitely is happening," he said. "Has happened."

The Lions host Indiana on Saturday before visiting Maryland on Nov. 4. Then they play Michigan, which will offer Franklin his next chance at the victory his fans and program desperately crave.

"Is it nuanced and are there a lot of things that go into that that no one really cares about at that time? Yes. There’s no doubt about it," Franklin said. "But at the end of the day, the most important thing is for me to take responsibility and do everything within my power to get it fixed."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.