Oh boy, where do I begin? Penn State fans thought they had something going. They thought 2024 was the beginning of a new era. Turns out, it was just another chapter in the same old book: James Franklin getting exposed when it matters most. The Nittany Lions went 13-3, their best record in program history. On paper, it looked like a dream season. In reality? It was the most fraudulent 13-3 of all time. The schedule was softer than wet tissue paper, and as soon as they ran into real competition, they folded like a cheap lawn chair. Oregon washed them in the Big Ten Championship. Then Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame sent them packing in the Orange Bowl. And just like that, reality hit. Happy Valley loses faith in James Franklin after the latest tea.

The fans were already skeptical, but the 2025 schedule officially killed any remaining hope. No more dodging. No more Big Ten schedule rigged to make Penn State look like world-beaters. Now? Franklin’s got to run through the gauntlet, and the internet already knows how this story ends. Throughout the 2024 season, Penn State looked dominant—until you actually checked who they were playing. Their schedule’s literally one of the easiest in the Big Ten. No Michigan. No Oregon and Indiana. Their 2 biggest tests? No. 19 Illinois and No. 4 Ohio State. They went 1-1, and that Ohio State game? 20-13.

2025, though? That cupcake schedule is dead and gone. Penn State has to face real killers now. The first three games are manageable, but then it gets ugly. Week 4? Oregon—the same Oregon that just sent them to the shadow realm in the Big Ten title game. Week 7? National champion Ohio State. On the road. In Columbus. What makes this schedule worse is that James Franklin is 1-15 against the top 5 AP polls teams, historically bad, right?

They also got to deal with Curt Cignetti’s Indiana squad. Yeah, Indiana. The same Indiana that went 11-1 last season and is out here playing like they forgot they’re Indiana. Franklin is already allergic to elite teams, and now he’s got three of them on the schedule. Yeah, it’s looking like another 9-3 season, max. Maybe 10-2 if they get lucky. Either way, three losses mean no playoffs, no natty, and another year of Penn State getting clowned.

Even with all this, Franklin isn’t backing down. He went out and threw a bag at Jim Knowles, Ohio State’s former defensive coordinator, giving him $3.1 million a year—the highest-paid DC in the country. But the fans? They ain’t buying it. They’ve seen this movie before.

The fans lose their faith in James Franklin as his Kryptonite stands in their way

When CBS Sports posted Penn State’s 2025 schedule with the caption, “How many wins will Penn State get in 2025?” the internet wasted no time airing Franklin out. The responses were BRUTAL:

The fans started with Jim Knowles’ card, “Have OSU’s DC n still gonna lose to them.” Imagine hiring Ohio State’s DC for a record-breaking salary just to still get washed by Ohio State. You can’t make this up. Franklin getting cooked before the season even starts.

Another fan bluntly put it out, “This is why nobody takes them serious.” Every single year, Penn State starts hot, racks up a bunch of wins against nobodies, gets hyped up, and then collapses the second they see a real team. Rinse. Repeat.

This fan said, ‘same drama, different year’, “Just like every other season, they’ll beat bad teams and lose to any good team they play. 10-2.” We already know how this season ends. Franklin stacks wins against bottom feeders like Northwestern just to get humbled by Ohio State and Oregon.

This fan’s bit lil optimistic about Michigan, “Luckily, they don’t have to play Michigan this year, so they’ll have their annual loss to Ohio State.” The Big Ten scheduling gods blessed them by taking Michigan off the schedule. They got stacked to their core for the 2025 season, but Ohio State is still there. Some things never change.

The last fan summed it up perfectly, “They’ll win every game but the big ones.” Penn State gonna rack up wins against teams like Purdue, flex on social media, and then lose by three touchdowns when it actually matters. Classic.

James Franklin is who we thought he was. The ultimate front-runner. He can bully the bad teams all day, but when it’s time to step up against elite competition? Ghost. The 2025 schedule is the biggest test of his career, and the fans already know how this one plays out. Another year of Penn State winning just enough to stay relevant but never enough to actually matter. Another year of Franklin finessing everyone into thinking they’re contenders, only to get exposed in November.

Look, Penn State nation ain’t finna settle till they get their hands on natty. Maybe this is the year Franklin proves everybody wrong. Maybe Jim Knowles really is the missing piece. But let’s be real—y’all don’t believe that. Nobody does until they beat Oregon in week 4 and Ohio State in November. Penn State fans buckle up. It’s gonna be a long season.