Penn State fans chant fire James Franklin after loss to Ohio State
In what felt like a must-win game for James Franklin against Ohio State, Penn State fell short once again. Franklin is now 1-10 against the Buckeyes during his tenure, never truly even being able to get over the hump. Even the lone win came when Penn State already had two losses, keeping them out of the College Football Playoff conversation.
Fans in Happy Valley have apparently had enough and let their voices be heard. As Franklin was walking back into the locker room, he was booed. Soon thereafter, chants of “Fire Franklin” could be heard from Beaver Stadium.
Not the result anybody associated with Penn State wanted heading into the day. Now, the pressure is only going to mount on Franklin to make up for this loss throughout the rest of the 2024 season.
You can check out the full moment here.
The numbers for Franklin certainly are not good. Outside of the 1-10 record against Ohio State, he has just one win in 14 attempts against teams ranked inside the top five. Expand a little further to the top-10 and the Penn State head coach is 3-18.
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If there is any good news, another ranked team does not appear on the remaining schedule. Three of the final four Big Ten opponents entered the day with losing records in the Big Ten. Minnesota is the lone one over .500, with that game scheduled for Nov. 23.
Franklin has been great at taking down unranked opponents and if the trend continues, Penn State will finish the year 11-1. You would assume a spot in the CFP would then be clinched and depending on results, maybe a birth in the Big Ten Championship game.
But the fans in State College are not thinking about what could be in a few weeks. They clearly are not happy with Franklin and how the program is performing on the biggest stages.