Penn State head coach James Franklin has come under fire many times for his poor record in so-called “big games,” and he gave his critics plenty more ammunition Saturday.
The No. 10 Nittany Lions were 4.5-point favorites over No. 11 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, but did not play well in a 38-25 loss.
Before the game had even ended Penn State fans were already tweeting angry memes about Franklin and his teams’ penchant for dropping games against quality opponents.
Franklin now has a ho-hum 4-5 record in bowl games. His big-game record is even worse in other regards. For example, after losing to both Michigan and Ohio State this year, Franklin is 4-16 all-time against those two teams.
Then there’s this horrible stat: According to College Football Report, Franklin has a 6-29 against Top 15 teams in his career.
After the Michigan loss, ESPN college football expert Paul Finebaum told On3.com, “James Franklin is one of the most unimaginative big game coaches in the history of the game.”
That’s a tough statement by Finebaum, but it almost comes off as a compliment compared to the venom aimed at Franklin on X/Twitter after the loss to Ole Miss.
James Franklin is a great recruiter.
He has an excellent PR department that keeps pushing the narrative of his value to #PSU.
He enjoys flying around in his helicopter Friday nights to watch his recruits.
But when it comes to actual coaching, he is one of the worst in the NCAA.— Keith Barnes (@kbarnes_pghsprt) December 30, 2023