Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
9 6 A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M E D I T O R I A L MATT HERB MATT.HERB@ON3.COM N early six years ago, following a 27-26 loss to Ohio State in which Penn State allowed a double-digit fourth-quarter lead to slip away, James Franklin stepped into the Beaver Sta- dium media room and dispensed with his customary statistical breakdown. He said nothing about the turnover battle or third-down conversion rates or average starting field position. In- stead, Franklin offered an opening statement that was more akin to a state of the union address than a dissection of the game. "We have gone from an average foot- ball team to a good football team to a great football team," Franklin said. "We have worked hard to do those things, but we are not an elite football team yet. As hard as we have worked to go from average to good, and from good to great, the work that it's going to take to become an elite program is going to be just as hard as the ground and the dis- tance that we've already traveled." Two years removed from their breakthrough 2016 season, the Nittany Lions hadn't done that work, Franklin lamented. They hadn't pushed hard enough to take the next step, and back- to-back 1-point losses to the Buckeyes were the result. "We have gotten comfortable being great," he said. "We will no longer be comfortable being great. We are going to learn from this and grow from this, and we are going to find a way to take that next step as a program. We've been knocking at the door long enough." Franklin's comments were polar- izing at the time. In the immediate aftermath of a huge game, few were in- terested in the view from 30,000 feet. People mostly just wanted to know why PSU had chosen to run the ball on fourth-and-5 with 1:16 left. And yet, his words still ring true years later. If anything, they are even more resonant now than they were in 2018, because Penn State is still knock- ing on that door. Heading into the 2024 season, PSU has won 10 or more games in five of the past eight years under Franklin. That's as many 10-win campaigns as it amassed in the 20 seasons that pre- ceded his arrival. People can debate how high the Nittany Lions' ceiling is as a program, but there's no disputing that Franklin has gotten them closer to it than they've been at any point since the early years of the Big Ten era. He's built a team that is reliably good and at times great. But not elite. Other than the 24-21 win that turbocharged their break- through 2016 season, PSU hasn't found a way to beat Ohio State, nor has it reached the College Football Playoff. Those would be disappointments under any circumstances, but they're especially irksome given that while PSU was knocking on the door, some- one else managed to get it open. To be clear, Michigan didn't really knock. It was more like the Wolverines ripped the door off its hinges and tossed it aside. They physically manhandled Ohio State en route to three consecu- tive wins in The Game — victories that set the stage for three Big Ten champi- onships and eventually a CFP crown. While Michigan was surging, the Lions were continuing down a familiar path. Since it regained its place in 2016 as one of the sport's upper-echelon programs, Penn State has had a habit of defying preseason expectations — for better and for worse. Four times, it has appeared in the Associated Press' preseason top 10, and each time it has ended up lower in the year-end poll. Conversely, the Lions have outper- formed their preseason ranking on three occasions, including two seasons in which they started out unranked and went on to finish in the top 10. That is perhaps an ominous sign when you consider that Penn State is likely to start out in the top 10 when this year's preseason AP poll is re- leased. Still, college football's dynamics have changed now that the playoff has expanded to 12 teams. A couple of losses aren't necessarily going to derail a team's CFP hopes. So, even if the Nittany Lions fall to the Buckeyes for the eighth year in a row, there still might be a path to championship con- tention. That's a comforting thought, even for a program that has strived to stay out of its comfort zone. ■ James Franklin has guided Penn State to 10 or more wins in five of the past eight seasons. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL After Years On The CFP Threshold, Penn State Wants In VARSITY VIEWS Penn State In The AP Poll Year Preseason Final 2014 — — 2015 — — 2016 — 7th 2017 6th 8th 2018 10th 17th 2019 15th 9th 2020 7th — 2021 19th — 2022 — 7th 2023 7th 13th