PASADENA, Calif. — James Franklin wrote a check that he couldn’t cash. Twice, in a period of eight days.
First, against one of the top teams in the Big Ten and in all of college football, the Oregon Ducks, who came into a White Out, ran out to a 17-3 lead and then held on by making a thousand cuts to the biggest homefield advantage of college football.
Second, on Saturday in a half-empty Rose Bowl, against what had been (previously) one the worst teams in the Big Ten and all of college football, playing host with very little homefield advantage, Penn State fell behind. Again. And fell short. Again.
UCLA came into the game 0-4, with an interim head coach, an interim offensive coordinator, an interim defensive coordinator and a fan following that was so lagging that the upper deck of both end zones were covered up for lack of patrons. (Official attendance: 39,256. Rose Bowl capacity: 89,702.)
The Bruins, just like the Ducks the week before, jumped out to a huge lead (27-7 at the half, following a 54-yard field goal…of course), then held on, did the safety dance with just seconds remaining and won 42-37. An 0-4 team hadn’t beaten a Top 10 team in 40 years. Until 3:57 p.m. PDT, October 4, 2025.
The old Pac-12 played Pac-Man on Penn State. Last week and this Saturday, in what were tailor-made scenarios for a Penn State W. So, what the L?
Now, UCLA’s interim head coach, Tim Skipper, is tied with Franklin with one career top-10 win against a Big Ten opponent.
Now, it appears there could be no CFP for CJF and PSU.
Now, Penn State is 3-2 in a fashion no one expected. Or can comprehend.
WRITING THE CHECK
The check? Franklin’s boast — made twice in the days leading up to summer practice that his team, his staff, his people were the best in his 12 seasons at Penn State. Only the best people.
Franklin unabashedly proclaimed the potential of his 2025 team at Big Ten Media Day in Las Vegas on July 23.
“This is the best combined personnel that we’ve had at Penn State,” Franklin said as he prepared to enter Year 12 at The Pennsylvania State University. “And when I talk about personnel, I am talking about players and staff from a depth standpoint, from a talent standpoint and from an experience standpoint. So, we’re very excited about that.”
What Franklin said in Vegas did not stay in Vegas. He repeated it again on Aug. 2 at the Beaver Stadium local media day. It was a check he was happy to re-write.
By then, Penn State was riding a wave that would see the Nittany Lions enter the season ranked No. 2 in both The Associated Press and Coaches’ polls.
He said he didn’t mind the expectations. Which he himself helped set.
“I don’t really feel like the expectations have changed,” he said nine weeks ago. “The expectations in the Lasch Building are always high. The expectations in Beaver Stadium are always high. The expectations in this community are always really high. That’s a big reason why I came here. That’s a big reason why our players chose here. To your point, are there more conversations and maybe heightened conversations going on nationally? Yes.”
Not anymore.
Penn State’s furious comeback in college football’s most-storied stadium fell historically and hysterically short. And left Nittany Nation furious.
It was such a sudden fall from grace for Penn State. Expectations started to drop last week, and they bottomed out against the Bad News Bruins on Saturday. Just as the sun began its descent behind the San Gabriel Mountains. Apropos, unfortunately, for the 2025 Nittany Lions.
And the College Football Playoff? The odds of CJF in the CFP are basically S.O.L, with road games at Iowa (Oct. 18) and at No. 1 Ohio State (Nov. 1), and a home game against No. 8 Indiana (Nov. 8) looming.
As for that check — Franklin’s “best personnel” pronouncement? After the game, veteran reporter Mark Wogenrich of Penn State on SI, asked Franklin if he still felt that way.
Here’s what Franklin had to say: “Obviously, that question at this moment…I mean, how am I supposed to answer that when we lost the last two games, when obviously that’s all that mattered. We didn’t win the last two games. Yeah, obviously, I felt that way or I wouldn’t have said it. But after two losses it’s hard to answer that question and say that’s the case.”
SO, HOW BAD WAS IT?
It may have been the worst of the 44 losses (with 104 wins) of the James Franklin Error…Era. But, the worst loss in the 136 years and 414 losses (with 946 victories and 42 ties) in Penn State football history? No way. The 1979 Sugar Bowl. Going away.
In contention for Franklin’s worst defeats:
There was the 2015 season-opening 27-10 loss to Temple (and its head coach, Matt Rhule, and AD, Pat Kraft) in Philadelphia, when Christian Hackenberg was sacked #107 times. But that was early post-sanctions.
And there was the 23-20 loss at No. 4 Iowa, when Penn State was 5-0 and ranked No. 4. PSU was ahead 17-3 when Sean Clifford went out and PSU was down 23-20 when it was over. It took Ta’Quan Roberson four years and stops at UConn, Kansas State and now Buffalo to get over the PTSD of his 34-yard, 35% completion, two interception performance.
And then, just two weeks after the Krash in Kinnick, Penn State lost to Illinois, 20-18. In nine overtimes. That’s nine times bad.
And now…well, we’ll always have UCLA.
