James Franklin began his first season as Penn State football coach without many expectations. The program was under NCAA sanctions, on its third head coach in four years and still trying to figure out its future.
Two years later, Franklin accelerated the pace of expectations by leading Penn State to an unexpected Big Ten title. What college football's vocal class labeled a decade-long reconstruct, Franklin achieved in his third season at Penn State. Thus, embracing expectations became his slogan.
"When you're in a place like Penn State, you embrace the expectations," Franklin said before Penn State's Peach Bowl appearance against Ole Miss. "That's why you came here. That's for our players, and that's for the coaches, and that's for myself. We embrace the high expectations."
Now, those expectations come with increasing pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, Penn State is one of five programs "under pressure" in 2024. The Nittany Lions have won 10 regular-season games in consecutive seasons and three times in the past five years. They played in three (formerly known as) New Year's Six bowls in that stretch. They have had a total of 22 players selected in the past three NFL Drafts. And yet they have no College Football Playoff appearance to show for it. Penn State's peak moment was a win over Utah in the 2023 Rose Bowl.
As a result, PFF suggests that it's time for Penn State to achieve a new level.
"Making the College Football Playoff will be an easier task in 2024 with 12 teams participating, which means there are no excuses for James Franklin and Penn State not to qualify in what feels like a make-or-break year for the program," PFF's Mitch Kaiser writes.
Penn State opens the 2024 season at West Virginia on Aug. 31 with a new set of coordinators, many of its top offensive skill players returning and several loaded position groups on defense. But similar questions follow the team.
Can a once-explosive offense recapture its downfield magic? Can quarterback Drew Allar and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki click to unlock his potential? Can defensive coordinator Tom Allen put the Nittany Lions' defensive-line and secondary strengths to use in his system?
"We know how good the defense can be, and if Allar can improve, the offense could be what puts Penn State over the top this season," PFF writes. "Otherwise, there could be major shake-ups coming."
Major "shake-ups" might be overstated, since (as noted) Franklin replaced all three coordinators this offseason, including the former offensive coordinator (Mike Yurcich) he personally courted for two years. Meanwhile, Franklin's 2024 buyout is $56 million, an expensive change for an athletic department building a $700 million Beaver Stadium and athlete revenue-sharing into its future budgets.
Nevertheless, this year is pivotal for Penn State, which needs to make the 12-team College Football Playoff to inject the program with some momentum. Franklin, of course, is aware. While acknowledging his pride regarding the "consistency" his teams have shown, Franklin accepted the pressure to perform.
"We take a lot of pride in the consistency and how we've been able to play over the majority of our time at Penn State, and I think sometimes people take that for granted and don't realize how
challenging that is in today's college football," Franklin said. "For us, it's being appreciative and recognizing what we have done well, but then also taking a deep dive and being very, very transparent and saying where do we need to grow? How do we get better? And how do we attack
those things?"
Penn State's offense gets a power boost from EA Sports' College Football 25?
Penn State's updated view of Beaver Stadium naming rights reflects college football's new reality
The most important dates on Penn State's 2024 football schedule
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
MARK WOGENRICH
Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.
© 2024 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
