The CFP is well and truly underway, and tensions are ascending. Every down, every drive is a tryst with fate. For Penn State head coach James Franklin, that fate could mean being out of his disposition up in Happy Valley. He’s been under particular duress for falling short in the biggest spots when the lights are brightest. As such, the simmering stress of getting over this perceived hump seemingly boiled over on the sidelines versus SMU.

A bit of miscommunication between defensive line coach Deion Barnes and D-tackle Coziah Izzard preceded James Franklin’s wrath. Izzard apparently believed he was being subbed off on a 4th down as he walked towards the sidelines. This left the Nittany Lions’ defense out of sorts in the backdrop. SMU was close to getting a playoff with this man advantage. However, HC Rhett Lashlee perhaps failed to see this conspicuous benefit and called timeout, inadvertently saving the PSU duo.

What ensued was an agitated James Franklin charging towards Deion Barnes to give him a piece of his mind over not getting his unit sorted. This was particularly curious, coming from the usually stoic Franklin. The magnitude of the game is evidently not lost on him. Lapses such as this could easily transpire into a watershed moment for his future.

James Franklin is the second-longest tenured coach in the Big 10 currently. He led Penn State to a conference championship in 2016. The program has consistently been amongst the rankings since he took charge 10 years ago. It is pretty undeniable that Penn State’s trajectory under James Franklin is an upward one. However, his tenure isn’t watertight by any stretch.

There is a growing feeling that a juncture where something’s gotta give beckons. It seems like the Nittany Lions shall always be bridesmaids with Franklin at the helm- never quite the bride. He’s perceived as a floor-raiser, not a ceiling-raiser. Although he does have an opportunity to quell some criticism by virtue of the playoffs. The bracket has molded in favor of the Nittany Lions. After SMU, they’re poised to face Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl. A run to the final 4 is very conceivable. There, James Franklin will have to overcome some past demons.

James Franklin’s reckoning hasn’t arrived just yet, despite SMU drubbing

Beating SMU and Boise State will be great for PSU. However, those aren’t the barometer of what the program wants to be rubbing shoulders with. After falling to Oregon in Indy, James Franklin’s infamous big-game record cropped up as is customary at this point.. The loss in the championship game certainly wasn’t all on Franklin. His fingerprints, though, were yet again at the site of a proverbial crime scene involving Penn State and a fellow top school. 

The stat of his shortcomings in ‘big games’ soared yet again. James Franklin has now fallen to 3-19 vs Top 10 opponents. 1-14 against the Top 5, including 11 losses on the bounce. Makes for some very poor reading. Unfortunately for him, beating SMU and Boise State won’t help those numbers. It will instill a lot more confidence, though.

As it turns out, Franklin is in a bit of a lose-lose situation. The only way to fully win over the fans as well as stakeholders in State College is to perhaps make it all the way to the Natty. The path is laid, and it’s not as treacherous as you’d expect. Expect the James Franklin storyline to become front and center on any hint of adversity over this CFP run.