Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1512721
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F resh off a dominant win to close the 2023 regular season, Penn State coach James Franklin was asked to do the seemingly impossible: reconcile two conflicting views of what his pro- gram has accomplished in recent years. The Nittany Lions had just earned their 10th win of the campaign, marking the second year in a row and the fifth in the past eight seasons in which they had achieved a double-digit victory total. They had routed Michigan State, 42-0, in Detroit, and Franklin was asked about the expectations that come with the job and how Penn State has strived to meet them. "We won 10 games this season. There are very few programs in the country that are able to do that," he said. "We've done it in back-to-back seasons. I'm very proud of what we've done." But Franklin was also aware that there's another side to the argument, and he didn't try to avoid it. "Do I understand and do I embrace the fact that this place has really, really high expectations?" he asked. "Nobody has higher expectations than the play- ers and the coaches. … I'm proud of this team and how we played tonight and how consistently we played this year." With their Peach Bowl matchup against Mississippi still weeks away, the Nittany Lions have an opportunity to reflect on where the program is, and where it might be headed. In the College Football Playoff poll that followed the league title games, the Lions were 10th. Thus, they finished among the top 12 teams in the final CFP poll for the sixth time in the past eight seasons. The Lions' highest finish in the CFP poll was in 2016, the year they last won the Big Ten championship. They placed fifth that season, one spot shy of inclusion in the four-team playoff. From 2017-19, they finished 10th, 12th and 10th, and after a two-season lull in which they dropped out of the rankings, they returned last year with an 11th- place showing, good enough for a trip to the Rose Bowl. Since 2016, Penn State ranks eighth among all programs with a winning percentage of 74.0 (74-26). Toss out the COVID-impacted 2020 season, in which conferences adopted different scheduling models and games were frequently canceled, and PSU's winning percentage rises to 76.9 (70-21). That figure ranks seventh behind Alabama (89.5), Ohio State (89.1), Georgia (86.6), Clemson (85.5), Michigan (80.2) and Oklahoma (79.5). It's ahead of Notre Dame (73.8), Washington (73.3), LSU (72.2), Iowa (69.2) and Oklahoma State (68.8). Franklin said he was proud of the consistency that Penn State has been able to achieve. "This year, we played good enough to win 10 games and hopefully get into a New Year's Six Bowl game and play well there," he said. "I think that's probably more challenging than it's been in the past with all the different things that have changed in college football over the last five years." The issue for Penn State is what it hasn't accomplished. The Nittany Li- ons haven't been able to parlay their consistency into a playoff berth. Except for Iowa, Oklahoma State and Penn State, all of the programs listed above have made the playoff at least once. Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson and LSU have won it at least once. One-year splashes by Cincinnati and TCU have made it all the more painful that the Nittany Lions have fallen short of the playoff during the 10 seasons in which it has been a four-team tourna- ment. But all Penn State can do is look ahead. The playoff will expand to 12 teams next year, opening up new paths for teams that have been on the cusp. The Lions need to ensure that they're well positioned to take advantage of their opportunities. "There are some steps that we have to take. I'm confident that we're going to take those steps and be aggressive," Franklin told reporters following the Michigan State game. "And like I men- tioned to you guys in the preseason, my confidence comes from the alignment of our leadership of [university president] Neeli Bendapudi and [athletics director] Pat Kraft, and then hopefully consis- tency in the football program as well." Next fall, the Nittany Lions will move with the rest of college football into a new, dramatically changed paradigm. In addition to the expanded playoff field, the conferences are set to undergo a major shift, including the addition of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. Penn State won't face Michigan and Ohio State annually any- more, but judged on a week-by-week basis, the schedule could ultimately be more difficult than before. For now, Penn State finds itself in a kind of purgatory, existing just outside the levels of elite success it so desper- ately craves. ■ Sophomore running back Nicholas Singleton gained 118 yards against Michigan State, helping the Nittany Lions earn their 10th victory of the 2023 regular season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL O P I N I O N NAT E BAU E R N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M HOT READ Nittany Lions Eager To Go From Good To Great