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Penn State

James Franklin addresses whether non-conference slate failed to prepare Penn State

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax09/28/25BarkleyTruax
NCAA Football: Villanova at Penn State
(Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-ImagnImages)

Penn State isn’t required to play a power four non-conference opponent during the regular season. So, the Nittany Lions didn’t.

That can be a double edged-sword. On one hand, Penn State blew out its competition. On the other, Penn State blew out Nevada, FIU and Villanova. In turn, the Nittany Lions’ first real test against Oregon was a 30-24 overtime loss on their home turf.

Head coach James Franklin was expecting the media to bring it up. So, they did.

“I think when you lose this game, that question is coming, right? I don’t think there’s any doubt about that question coming after we don’t play well in this game,” Franklin said. “Yeah, I get that question.”

Franklin’s record against ranked opponents has been well-documented during his tenure. He dropped to 4-21 against top 10 opponents after the loss, and 15-30 against teams in the top 25.

At the same time, Penn State was one game away from making it to the national championship game one year ago. Still, the Nittany Lions have struggled to get past some of the top teams in the conference over the years such as Ohio State and Michigan. Now, you can add Oregon to the mix after Saturday’s loss, not to mention the Ducks beating Penn State in the Big Ten Championship game last season.

Franklin is 104-42 since becoming head coach in 2014. Since then, he’s won one Big Ten Championship (2016) and has a 2-1 record in the College Football Playoff. However, the Nittany Lions were also criticized for playing the likes of SMU and Boise State to get there when perhaps the other semifinal teams had a more difficult route on paper.

“Again, I kind of look at the entire picture,” Franklin said. “I get that narrative, and it’s really not narrative, it’s factual. It’s the facts. I get it, but I try to look at the entire picture and what we’ve been able to do here.

“But at the end of the day, we’ve got to find a way to win those games. I totally get it, and I take ownership, and I take responsibility.”

Looking ahead, Penn State will hit the road for the first time this season during Week 6 against UCLA. The Bruins are still seeking their first win of the season and would love to play spoiler to the Nittany Lions during their bounce-back cross-country trip to Pasadena.