sshm said:
FriscoKid said:
That's stupid. PSU was a top 5 team a couple weeks ag, and two games cost a coach his job?
He hasn't won the Big Ten since 2016, a year which he didn't go to the playoff but Ohio State did.
Penn State is also the only team in a LONG time to lose two straight games as 20+ point favorites. Those weren't just losses, they were complete breakdowns. It's pretty evident he has lost the faith of his players, fanbase, and admin.
Hell, even his playoff wins were over SMU and Boise... that's about as mellow a playoff run as you can possibly ask for and he loses essentially EVERY game against anyone with any clout.
1. UCLA is not the same team they were at the start of the season. In the last 3 weeks, they've played some decent football and crushed MSU on the road. While State is mediocre at best, how does that compare to our wins over Auburn, MSU or Florida? I would not be shocked to see UCLA playing USC at the end of the year with a bowl bid on the line.
2. Northwestern is one of those teams that is rarely, if ever, great but is a pain in the ass for all but elite programs. Being a 20-point favorite against an improving UCLA team and a NW team when your QB got knocked out of the game is deceiving at best and irrelevant at worst. No one is asserting Penn State is top 10 and probably not playoff bound this year. But 7 wins would be attainable and firing a good coach who went the playoffs last year because he can't beat the best program in the country over the last decade is borderline idiotic.
2. They have 17 wins over teams that finished with 9+ wins since 2013. That's NOT "essentially EVERY game." They may have a losing record in those games, but who doesn't? Maybe 4 teams total? I didn't do the total calc about how many they lost, but let's say they went 17-33, or 1/3 (it may not have been that good, but hang with me here). How many SHOULD they have won?
If they have a deal done with someone they think is truly better, more power to them. If they fired Franklin on spec, they're looking at total mediocrity for the next decade. I don't think Rhule, etc. is going to be much of an upgrade. PSU has averaged over 10 wins per year since Covid. Prior to 2020, even with 3 years of 7-win seasons, they still averaged 9 wins since 2013. They're delusional if they truly think they're going to get better.
It would be one thing if they were a perennial 8-win team with an occasional 10+ win season like A&M was during Sumlin and Jimbo. They're at the level A&M TRIED TO GET TO during that period. Throwing a hissy fit over 2 close losses to teams that people might think are bad teams but really aren't is a recipe for disaster.
If Elko were to leave for whatever reason, I would take Franklin at A&M in a heartbeat. Would I might want him to change some things? Sure. But I like the idea of 11-win seasons.
