It is time. We are finally gonna find out if James Franklin truly has what it takes to make Penn State a natty winner. See, going up against SMU must be making Lions’ fans very happy. Like, what were the Mustangs even doing all season? A schedule that is ranked 75th in the entire country? No matter what you say, you still have to admit that Rhett Lashlee has done something impressive. He got the ACC win last year against Tulane, and this time, he has managed to put the Mustangs on the playoff spot. Yes, they lost the conference title game to Clemson, but they showed some real grit.

So, it ain’t no wonder why Pat McAfee, out of all the people, makes his stance clear that SMU has to SHOW UP today. “SMU needs to have a good one today against Penn State,” McAfee pointed out. The entire Notre Dame and Indiana showdown had one hilarious event. Curt Cignetti, for some reason, went on GameDay and said how he and his boys have “beaten top opponents” with ease. What happened on the field? Yeah, they couldn’t even hear themselves with all the noise Notre Dame fans made. This paired up with the massive defensive strength of the Irish, and it made Hoosiers look like a fly trapped in the spider’s web. For the SMU and Penn State game? The entire thing is right in James Franklin’s hands.

Home advantage? Check. Weather advantage? Check. Crowd advantage? Check. Franklin has all the external tools he needs to make SMU eat dust. See, the last time SMU played a cold-weather game was against BYU, and that was a 23-24 loss. Now they are running it back against the Nittany Lions, and we all know how badly the weather can affect the plays.

Nick Saban made his stance clear on this. The cold gets to you fast if you are not used to it. The biggest problem is the football slipping right out of the hands of the WR or RB if they are wearing those sleeves. And even if we keep this disadvantage aside, will Lashlee and Co. have enough firepower to get past the Lions’ defense?

In terms of creating QB pressure, the Lions rank 9th in the entire FBS with a 42% pressure PCT. Follow that up with a run defense that has managed to put 95 run stops on the board, also ranked 10th in the FBS. It doesn’t fare well for the SMU offense.

Finally, the Lions rank 11th in the FBS in terms of tackles for loss. They have managed to secure 92 this season. Oh, and how can we forget about QB Drew Allar? Say what you want about the Lions run game. One thing is for sure, their QB is a godsend. Allar has a 57% completion when it comes down to 20+ yards throws. This is the best in all of FBS. Regardless, SMU still has a chance to win this.

James Franklin’s choking problem

It is true that under Franklin, Penn State football has reached new heights. But then, when you do a proper tally of those win-loss ratios, there is an underlying factor that could tick you off. See, Franklin has never had a record of “good wins” against top opponents.

We are not saying SMU is on the Ducks or OSU level or something. But Franklin has always found a way to choke a major game. Now, this could be something that could help the Mustangs clutch this.

Penn State has a record of 17 losses against top teams. And all of it came during Franklin’s era. “He loses far too many of these games in order for us to put him in that great category,” was something Shannon Sharpe had pointed out on his show. 

In terms of overall roster strength and experience, Penn State has the upper hand. But then, the grit and strength SMU showcased during the Clemson game when they climbed out of a massive deficit and tied the score with the Tigers? Yeah, that points to a scenario where these boys won’t stop trying to win till the clock has run out.