Paul Finebaum: Penn State losing to Boise State would be 'unforgivable' for James Franklin

As the Penn State Nittany Lions prepare to take on the Boise State Broncos in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, head coach James Franklin has his sights on his second Playoff win. That would represent another step forward in changing the reputation he has developed as a big-game loser.

In an appearance on Get Up ahead of the game, Paul Finebaum shared his thoughts on what it means for James Franklin. In particular, he emphasized that the game matters to Franklin for his reputation compared to the sport’s other top coaches.

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“Everything,” Paul Finebaum said. “This would be just an unforgivable loss for a guy who has had a lot of unforgivable losses.”

In his head coaching career, James Franklin has a record of 3-24 against AP Top-10 teams. That mark is 3-19 while at Penn State. During that time in Happy Valley, he’s mostly run into issues with Ohio State, Michigan, and toward the start of his tenure Michigan State. With that, he’s only won the Big Ten once during his time in Happy Valley to go with three New Year’s Six Bowl wins.

“He usually beats the teams he’s supposed to, only last year as a favorite he lost to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl,” Finebaum said. “But most of the time when he’s an underdog against the best, you see it. He can’t win. Not only can he not win, he loses badly. So, a loss tonight would just cement that reputation.”

This season is Penn State’s first ever trip to the College Football Playoff. With that, Franklin earned his first Playoff win in the first round. That was against the SMU Mustangs. That combination of opponents, however, will keep Franklin’s reputation in big games in doubt according to Finebaum.

“Now, what would a win do? It probably wouldn’t do all that much because even though he would have two Playoff wins, they would be against lesser teams,” Finebaum said. “He would need to beat the team next week, which would be Notre Dame or Georgia.”

Penn State and Boise State are set to kickoff in the Fiesta Bowl at 7:30 p.m. EST on New Year’s Eve. Of the four quarterfinal Playoff games, it’s the only one not being played on New Year’s Day, so all eyes will be on James Franklin and Penn State as they take on an upset-minded Boise State team that is coming off a bye week.