James Franklin on Penn State's high expectations: 'No one cares about preseason rankings'

Fresh off a run to the College Football Playoff Semifinal, Penn State has been tabbed as a trendy pick to win its first National Championship since 1986 this season. The Nittany Lions return a strong core consisting of quarterback Drew Allar, running back Nick Singleton and a handful of its best defensive players (Zakee Wheatley and Tony Rojas to name a few).

Penn State head coach James Franklin discussed these preseason expectations at a media opportunity on Saturday. Franklin is heading into his 12th season in University Park, where he boasts a 101-42 record.

“I think you guys have heard me say this, but I don’t really feel like the expectations have changed,” Franklin said. “The expectations in the last football building are always high. The expectations in Beaver Stadium are always high and the expectations in this community are always really high. That’s a big reason why I came here and it’s a big reason why our players chose here. Are there more conversations and maybe heightened conversations going on nationally? Yes. But I think last year was a perfect example.”

“We were a drive away from playing for the National Championship last year and 99% of the programs in the country would be jacked about that season and how it went. I don’t know that that was necessarily the case here. We win 13 games and like I mentioned were a few points and drives for playing for the National Championship and people were pissed. That’s what you sign up for when you come to Penn State, so those expectations are always pretty high.”

“No-one cares about preseason rankings,” Franklin said.

The Nittany Lions earned the No. 6 seed in the 2024 College Football Playoff, where they knocked off No. 11 seed SMU (38-10) and No. 3 seed Boise State (31-14) before falling to No. 7 seed Notre Dame 27-24 in the Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal).

“All the hard work that they have done, the number of guys that have decided to come back, they have earned these types of conversations and attention,” Franklin continued. “I would also say, no-one cares about preseason rankings. I’m not gonna frame the preseason rankings and put it in my basement in the man cave. Nobody cares. No-one cares. All that’s wonderful, but we want to spend our time working on the things that are gonna allow us to do the things we want to do this year. Starting with Nevada to create the habits and behaviors that will get us there not talking about and spending a ton of time on goals and those type of things.”

Penn State opens its most anticipated season in recent history on Aug. 30 at home against Nevada. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM on CBS/Paramount+.