ESPN expert explains why Penn State may still be the best job opening in college football

Penn State opened up its head coaching job 16 days ago following a loss against Northwestern. At the time, it was unquestionably the best opening in college football. However, since then, two SEC powerhouses, Florida and LSU, have also opened up their jobs. The two programs have combined for six national championships since Penn State’s last national title, creating a lot of conversation over which job is the most attractive to the games’ best coaches.

After Florida officially opened up its job 10 days ago, many of college football’s national media members agreed that the Gators and Nittany Lions were basically 1A and 1B. However, following LSU’s decision to fire Brian Kelly this past weekend, that’s shifted, with many leaning towards the opening in Baton Rouge as the top job available.

That topic was discussed this week on ESPN’s College Gameday podcast. Both Dan Wetzel and Rece Davis agreed with most others, stating that they’d lean towards LSU as the top available job currently.

However, when ESPN’s Pete Thamel was asked for his opinion, he made sure to mention that Penn State deserves more recognition than they’ve received in recent weeks.

Link: Why a recent NCAA recruiting change could have a big impact on Penn State

“I think Penn State deserves a little shine in this conversation,” said Thamel. “Easier path to the playoff, right? There are, right now, four-and-a-half vibrant Big Ten teams that are in playoff contention.”

“The middle class of the Big Ten, simply put, is not the same as the middle class of the SEC. So, your week-to-week existence is different. That’s one of the reasons why [Big Ten commissioner] Tony Petitti was pushing the private equity thing so much. That’s why the Maryland, Northwestern groups wanted it so badly because they know they need to get better, and the Big Ten knows, holistically. That’s why some of the bigger brands in the Big Ten were in favor of it. They know they need their middle class to improve.”

Even beyond just an easier path to making the College Football Playoff, Thamel also made sure to acknowledge the growth of the athletic department in recent years and how the program, overall, is in a much better place now than it was early in James Franklin’s tenure.

“Penn State is, finally, fully evolved from all their troubles,” Thamel added. “I think they’re ready to operate as a high-class, Ohio State-level athletic department. For all of James Franklin’s troubles on the field, talent on the roster was not one of them. They were engineered, prepared…They were not afraid to go out and spend big money to address needs. That place feels ready to go. You have good local talent, you have great tradition and you have a more tenable path to the playoff.”