Penn State is taking its season closer to its elitest target. They are just two steps away from a national title shot. Can James Franklin go all in and bring the third title home with a roster packed with top-tier talents, or give it away to another big fish in the pond by a small slip? Well, whether or not they can beat their opponent on the semis and reach the Atlanta coast for the big title is worth smelling a rat. Coach Franklin has a high-flying agenda, heading to the quarter-final to face the storied Boise State.

Franklin’s 11th Reiteration of the Nittany Lions is a rare one to watch out for. He gets a flooded roster, a favorable schedule, and all the prowess it takes to keep winning their games. It’s not just that the Nittany Lions boys are doing it the right way so far in the season, except for only a few high-profile losses against No.,1 Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes, but they navigated the right mindset as well.

”These guys put the team first, they put their teammates first, they sacrifice,’‘ Coach Franklin showed immense faith in his team after a 38-10 demolition of SMU. Now, as they gear up to face 12-1 Boise State led by their biggest sensation, Ashton Jeanty, Franklin has his map set.  Taking an all-inclusive approach, Franklin put a tweet, ”Game Week! Let’s do this TOGETHER Nittany Nation. We need EVERYONE – students, faculty, lettermen, alumni, & fans worldwide – locked in on being 1-0 against Boise State Tuesday!”

Under James Franklin, Penn State had a historic season, but still, they couldn’t dodge the stigma of a big-game loser. A 38-10 win against SMU in the first round was spectacular but didn’t suffice; neither would a win against Boise State. Maybe, just maybe, if the Nittany Lions step up to a semifinal against Georgia or Notre Dame and gain the upper hand, they can move on from the stereotype. So, the path is long, and the coach needs to be high on his guard, putting all his arms right on the place.

On the other hand, the Broncos spent the year relying on the Doak Walker Award-winning running back Ashton Jeanty. The guy with a whooping 2,497 rushing yards, a Heisman finalist, can do it alone for his team for the rest of their season. On top of that, the Broncos’ defense also has weight, as they haven’t allowed more than 24 points in a single game since Oct. 5, and they’ve held each of their last three opponents under 20 points. Franklin won’t have a cakewalk on Fiesta Bowl, for sure. But it doesn’t matter.

James Franklin has higher ideals attached to his top-tier coaching 

You have indeed seen a go-getter coach ask all of those involved in his team to join hands and pledge for a quarterfinal win together, but you don’t see a deeper philosophy running behind an outward ambition. Coach Franklin wants to be a trendsetter in Pennsylvania, but not in a typical way. He keeps the intangibles above some high-flying stats and numbers. 

With the massive win over SMU, Franklin led his record to 5-19 vs. top-10 teams as Penn State’s head coach. Even if he crosses all the odds and lifts the trophy on January 20th, exceeding his past 11 years’ record, it can’t shake his roots, which are built on relationships he has with the players. He is focused on producing more NFL-worthy talents from his team while nurturing the coach-player bond in the process.

”For me, the older you get, you kind of get rid of all those other things like stats and yards and stats and points and things like that. And it just really comes down to the players. It comes down to relationships. It comes down to the staff, and it comes down to the staff, relationships, and development,” Coach Franklin put his higher purpose on a show during a pre-bowl interview.

It remains to be seen if Coach Franklin can achieve both the tangible and intangible, going deeper into a statement season.