On September 27, 2025, the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Nittany Lions were set to host the University of Oregon Ducks in their infamous “whiteout” game in State College, Pennsylvania. This top ten matchup was brewing throughout the college football scene, as this game would determine the frontrunner within the Big Ten. Other than their 2025 Season, this game was monumental when writing Penn State head coach James Franklin’s legacy, as his satisfaction to finally win a “big” game was still lingering. With the Nittany Lions losing in double overtime, no one knew the impact this game would have, and how it was the first domino to fall for the demise of Coach Franklin.
This loss was not a complete surprise for many, as these marquee matchups have always been an issue within their campaigns, as Franklin had only four wins out of the twenty AP top ten opponents they had faced, per Yahoo Sports. With this narrative, the Nittany Lions continued as normal, dropping from third to seventh in the AP Poll. Penn State would travel to the sunny skies of Pasadena to play UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Before this game, the Bruins were struggling, as they had a winless start and had not led a single second of their first four games. Despite the odds, UCLA caught fire and led Penn State 27-7 at halftime. Although the Nittany Lions put up a solid fight in the second half, UCLA would go on to achieve its first win of the season, winning 42-37.
This was where things began to get grim in “Happy Valley”, but Franklin turned to X to soften the mood, putting out, “Game Week! Let’s do this TOGETHER & 1-0, Nittany Nation. Northwestern, Northwestern, Northwestern!!! #WeAre.”, per X. This tweet aged like milk, however, as Northwestern pounced on Penn State, giving them their second straight loss. The row of dominoes had fallen, and the administration had had enough of the “Franklin Era” and fired him the very next day, to everyone’s surprise. It was over, and all it took was fifteen days of despair for an eleven-year tenure of success to crumble under their own feet.
With this firing, the question arises, “Was this fair?” While many people despised Coach Franklin and his program, this same community is questioning the grounds of this historic event in college football history. While Franklin’s quest to win the big one is still afoot, his consistency in winning games where he was favored was one of the highest in college football. This led to multiple double-digit win seasons, conference championship appearances, and college football playoff appearances. He had the historic program, a multitude of NIL money, elite facilities, and a fanbase second-to-none. With all of this, anything less than a National Championship is subpar. With this standard, resentment toward this rinse-and-repeat failure in their eyes is understandable if they want to change things up, but firing him mid-season?
Coach Franklin took this controversy to College Gameday, college football’s premier pregame show, and spoke with the panel about the decision and his outlook for the future. While Franklin defended Penn State, speaking on how it is not his decision to say whether his firing was fair or not, former University of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban defended Franklin by commenting on how, with Franklin’s resume, his firing mid-season was disrespectful to everything he did for the program of Penn State, per USA Today. Wrapping up the interview, Coach Franklin was hopeful for the future of his coaching career and is ready to take on his next challenge at whichever program buys into him.
So, what is the future for these two parties? For Penn State, their starting quarterback, Drew Allar, broke his ankle during this Northwestern loss, pinning this Nittany Lion squad with a new coach and a new quarterback. This untested squad dropped their first game to the Iowa Hawkeyes, making them winless within Big Ten play. With this, Penn State is likely to miss the bowl season, which is a first since 2004.
After the season ends, this head coaching job will be coveted by many within the coaching carousel. For James Franklin, the outlook is bright, as many teams have already fired their long-standing coaches, and many powerful programs are sitting vacant within the head-coaching seat. From Virginia Tech to Florida, Franklin has many opportunities available at his fingertips. From both sides, this decision was monumental, especially at the beginning of this NIL era of college sports. With the amount of money being poured into these programs, fifteen days can be the difference between success and solemn.
