Penn State Coach James Franklin Opens Up About Ohio State, Michigan Struggles…
The Penn State Nittany Lions find themselves at 3-2 and struggling after back-to-back defeats against the UCLA Bruins and Oregon Ducks in Big Ten play. Instead of competing for another conference championship like Michigan in 2023 or Ohio State in 2024, the narrative around Happy Valley has shifted to frustration with “Fire Franklin” chants resurfacing as head coach James Franklin once again falls short of expectations in 2025.
Although Penn State isn’t mathematically out of the College Football Playoff race, CBS Sports analyst Shehan Jeyarajah believes their hopes are fading fast. In his midseason projection, Jeyarajah predicts the Nittany Lions will drop upcoming games to both Ohio State and Indiana, leaving Franklin with a four-loss season one of the weakest full-year records of his tenure since he took over in 2014.
“Penn State was supposed to be the next powerhouse after Ohio State and Michigan,” Jeyarajah explained. “They brought back NFL-caliber talent, had a favorable nonconference schedule, and set themselves up for a College Football Playoff run. This was meant to be their moment to compete for a national title.”
Instead, five games into the season, the Nittany Lions have underdelivered. With daunting matchups against No. 1 Ohio State and No. 8 Indiana still ahead, Penn State faces the real possibility of another disappointing campaign. Jeyarajah called this “one of the biggest ‘what if’ rosters in modern Penn State history,” a sentiment likely to shadow Franklin’s legacy for years to come.
While the rest of Penn State’s schedule appears manageable, the loss to UCLA a 42-37 heartbreaker at the Rose Bowl serves as a stark reminder that no game is a guaranteed win. Upcoming road trips to Iowa, Michigan State, and even Rutgers could pose more danger than expected.
This season was supposed to be about chasing playoff positioning, perhaps even earning a first-round bye in the new postseason format. Instead, the Nittany Lions are left worrying about survival and avoiding upset losses a far cry from the championship aspirations that once defined their 2025 campaign.
