All Penn State

What They're Saying the Day After Penn State's Alarming Loss to UCLA

The Nittany Lions plummet in the polls, and the national media wonder if the Penn State-James Franklin marriage has run its course.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin greets cornerback Audavion Collins after the team's loss to the UCLA Bruins.
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin greets cornerback Audavion Collins after the team's loss to the UCLA Bruins. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

In this story:

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State coach James Franklin braced for the backlash Saturday even before boarding the flight home. By the time they landed in State College after their 42-37 loss to UCLA, the Nittany Lions faced a doomscroll of criticism for what's being called the worst college football loss of the season.

"There’s going to be a lot out there to divide, divide," Franklin said. "We have to tune all that out and stick together. It’s not going to be easy, but I think we’ll do that."

And there's plenty to tune out. The Athletic's Stewart Mandel compared Penn State's loss to No. 2 Michigan's against Appalachian State in 2007. "This loss wasn't disappointing," Mandel wrote. "It was a debacle."

Losses like Penn State's prompt Big Takes from the national media, which occasionally make sweeping generalizations without deep insight into the program. In this case, though, Penn State is getting a deserved roundhouse.

RELATED: The question James Franklin couldn't answer after Penn State's loss to UCLA

Penn State plummets in the polls

With the loss to UCLA, Penn State fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in more than three years. The last time Penn State was unranked was Week 2 of the 2022 season, when it was 1-0 after a season-opening win over Purdue. The Nittany Lions got into the poll the following week and have been there since. In fact, Penn State began this season ranked second in the AP Top 25 preseason poll.

The coaches evidently took mercy on Penn State, keeping it in their top-25 poll for another week. Still, Penn State fell 16 spots from No. 6 to 16th in this week's Coaches Poll. That seems kind, considering the circumstances of Penn State's loss.

UCLA entered the game ranked last in the Big Ten in nine major statistical categories. The offense had scored a total of five touchdowns in its first four games. The defense ranked last in the Big Ten in scoring and yards allowed. In fact, UCLA ranked 125th or worse (of 136 major college programs) in six statistical categories. And yet the Bruins built a 20-point halftime lead en route to the upset.

What they're saying about the Nittany Lions

During the preseason, Franklin positioned this team as his best in terms of talent and coaching, thus opening the door to evaluation on his terms. The national media merely followed Franklin's lead.

"It's as inexcusable a loss as we've seen in this sport in a long time," The Athletic's Chris Vannini wrote. "The preseason No. 2 team in the country is now more likely to miss the College Football Playoff than make it."

Indeed, ESPN's playoff projector gives Penn State just a 23-percent chance to make the 12-team field. A playoff bid rests on Penn State finishing the regular season 7-0, beating current No. 1 Ohio State and No. 7 Indiana in the process.

If the Nittany Lions accomplish that, ESPN practically assures Penn State of a playoff bid and gives it an 89-percent chance to host a game. Of course, the playoff predictor also gives Penn State just a 19-percent chance to beat Ohio State on Nov. 1 in Columbus.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum, who has been critical of Franklin all season, led the chorus after the loss. On The Matt Barrie Show, Finebaum said "it feels like the worst loss I've ever seen." And then he wondered aloud about Franklin's future.

“The bigger issue for James Franklin is keeping his job," Finebaum said. "And I know what the buyout is, and I know what his record is, but, at some point, you have to determine, can we do better? And, I’m telling you right now, Penn State can do better than James Franklin. It just feels like the gas is leaking all over the runway. That game yesterday, it changed the narrative from he can’t win the big one to, now he can’t win the little one either.”

Franklin's buyout isn't entirely clear, since it was part of a 2021 contract that since has been updated, though not publicly due to Pennsylvania's open-records laws. But according to the 2021 term sheet, Penn State would owe Franklin at least $48 million this year to buy him out. That number would fall by $8 million in January. Until then, the Nittany Lions will be under duress.

"Penn State’s shocking loss at UCLA puts the Nittany Lions in must-win mode," wrote On3's Andy Staples. "And while we assume they’ll beat Northwestern on Saturday, we probably shouldn’t. The Wildcats defeated UCLA just eight days ago. But even if Penn State gets by Northwestern, Ohio State and Indiana await at the start of November."

Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer considers a breakup in the best interests of Franklin and the program.

This cannot continue under any circumstances," Fischer wrote. "The marriage between coach and program, which should have been perfect on paper, has instead descended into a stalemate in a not-so Happy Valley right now. The next seven games can simply serve as window dressing for whatever the final terms of the divorce will be."

At CBS Sports, writer John Talty suggested that Franklin should pursue a fresh start somewhere else.

"There could be quite a few attractive job openings for Franklin and his super agent, Jimmy Sexton, to consider this year," Talty wrote. "He could stay at Penn State, make some assistant coach changes and hope next year is better. But the talent coming back doesn't suggest it will — Penn State has not been recruiting at an elite level, either — and the better path could be starting anew elsewhere. He's going to make a ton of money regardless, whether it's staying at Penn State or leaving for a new Power 4 job. But his quality of life and appreciation for what he does as a program leader could be better elsewhere."

That point certainly will get tested Saturday. Penn State hosts Northwestern for what might be the most sour homecoming game in recent memory. Franklin has been booed during pre-game introductions before. But the environment next week at Beaver Stadium likely will supercede any among those bringing pitchforks and voodoo dolls to the game.

The last word belongs to former Penn State kicker and captain Tyler Davis, who [played for Franklin and who shared his thoughts in a social media post.

More Penn State Football

Published
Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

Home/Football