Penn State’s roster is only going to get worse, which makes for a grim big-game future under James Franklin

As he thinks back on what went wrong in a devastating 27-24 Orange Bowl loss, coach James Franklin must face an even more painful reality: He’ll never have a better chance of winning a national championship than he just did.

This was the year and this was the team for Franklin and his Penn State program to prove the doubters wrong, to extinguish the derisive “Big Game James” nickname once and for all. Led by Abdul Carter, Tyler Warren and Nicholas Singleton, Franklin compiled enough elite talent to make a real run at finally breaking through that ceiling. 

It couldn’t have broken any better for Penn State this season. The Nittany Lions didn’t win their hardest regular season game (Ohio State) but still received an especially favorable College Football Playoff path. As the No. 6 seed, Penn State hosted No. 11 SMU inside Beaver Stadium for a chance to play No. 3 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. From the moment the CFP bracket was revealed, Penn State felt as close to a lock to make the semifinals as any of the 12 teams in the playoffs.

After taking care of SMU and Boise State, Penn State got an Orange Bowl berth against a Notre Dame hampered with injuries to multiple key contributors. The Fighting Irish opened as a slight 1.5-point favorite but by kickoff, Penn State had closed as the favorite. In the first half, the Nittany Lions looked dominant against a seemingly physically overmatched Fighting Irish squad. 

What transpired in the second half will be a hard pill to swallow for years to come. The early 10-0 lead. The 24-17 lead with less than eight minutes left in the game. The decision to be aggressive with less than a minute remaining and overtime looming only for quarterback Drew Allar to throw a backbreaking interception…

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Author : John Talty

Publish date : 2025-01-10 19:08:00

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