Penn State head coach James Franklin has long been known as the guy who can’t win the big games. As the Nittany Lions’ coach, he is 1-14 against AP top-five teams and 0-5 against teams in the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings.
Franklin has had considerable success in his career, posting a 101-41 overall record at Penn State, but to win a national title, he will have to break his losing streak against the top programs in the country.
The good news for Franklin is that he has a chance to prove it this season in a critical Week 5 matchup against Oregon. According to one analyst, the game could change the narrative around Franklin.
Analyst Joel Klatt Breaks Down What Beating Oregon Could Do for Penn State, James Franklin
In Week 5, the Penn State Nittany Lions will host the Oregon Ducks on September 27 in a marquee matchup that should give fans one of the season’s best games. The matchup will be Penn State’s annual “White Out” game at Beaver Stadium and will be televised on NBC at 7:30 p.m. ET.
These two programs faced off in the Big Ten Championship last season, in a game that came down to the wire with Oregon winning 45-37.
On the “Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast,” host Joel Klatt explained how Penn State head coach James Franklin needs to finally get over the hump and take down a team like Oregon who Penn State is talented enough to beat.
“One of the things they are going to have to do is find a way to win those ‘matchup’ games. When talent is equated, and you’ve got the same talent that you’re looking across the field at, can you win those games? And up to this point, that’s where they struggled,” Klatt said.
Historically, Penn State has struggled in these types of games, but Klatt believes that if Penn State defeats Oregon in Week 5, it will send a message to the college football world.
“If they can win that game, man, that would announce to everyone, ‘like hey Penn State is ready, they are ready for that stage’ and they could potentially make a run and do something bigger than just win the games that they should,” Klatt said.
Franklin and Penn State have come very close to finally getting over that hump. In addition to the Big Ten Championship loss to Oregon, the Nittany Lions also faltered down the stretch in their game against Ohio State last season, losing 20-13 in a game that could have secured their spot in the Big Ten title game outright.
Penn State did advance to the College Football Playoff as a No. 6 seed, defeating SMU 38-10 in the first round and Boise State 31-14 in the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal.
However, the Nittany Lions fell short against Notre Dame in the CFP Semifinal matchup, with the game ending on a game-winning 41-yard field goal from Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter with seven seconds remaining.
A win against Oregon this year would finally allow the Nittany Lions to break their streak of heartbreaking losses against these top programs and could set them up for a national title run.
With quarterback Drew Allar returning for his third season as a starter and a roster that reached the CFP semifinals, Franklin has arguably his best team yet to finally break through against elite competition.
