James Franklin, at key juncture, still considered among nation's best

Rankings, polls, and award-watch season is officially upon us. And Penn State, coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons, is among the hotter topics of conversation.

Or, maybe more specifically, Penn State head coach James Franklin’s performance is garnering discussion.

Having just signed a contract extension that runs through the 2031 season, what is to be made of Franklin’s place in the college football coaching hierarchy?

This week, CBS Sports writer Tom Fornelli attempted to contextualize it. Releasing his rankings of the Top 25 Power Five college football coaches entering the 2022 season, Fornelli placed Franklin right in the middle.

At No. 15 on the list, Franklin’s past successes at Penn State are juxtaposed against the black-and-white reality of the past two years. And, given some of the movement on the rest of the list, and Franklin’s past rankings on the list, that prompted a slide of two spots from No. 13 to No. 15 in this iteration of the list.

From the rankings:

“James Franklin: Franklin’s standing has been in decline the last few years. He was a top-10 coach before the 2020 season, but the Nittany Lions have gone 11-11 since then and are only 8-10 in the Big Ten. Three 11-win seasons in four years before this stretch offer plenty of evidence that the downturn won’t last, but some cracks are starting to show after eight seasons in Happy Valley. The 2022 season will be crucial for both parties.  2021 rank: 13 (-2)“

Considering James Franklin’s recent record

On Fornelli’s 2020 list, Franklin was considered a Top 10 coach nationally in the Power Five conferences. Coming off an 11-2 season capped by a Cotton Bowl win, Fornelli took note of Penn State’s recent string of success and put Franklin at No. 9 on the list.

From the May 2020 rankings:

“James Franklin: He took over a Penn State program still dealing with the repercussions of the horrific acts of Jerry Sandusky. After an understandably slow start to his tenure, Franklin has turned things up a notch the last four years. The Nittany Lions have gone 42-11 since 2016, winning a Big Ten title, a Fiesta Bowl and a Cotton Bowl. However, what they haven’t done yet is get to where they want to be ultimately: the CFP. It doesn’t feel like they’re that far off, however, and that’s why Franklin gets so much respect from our panel. 2019 rank: 11 (+2)“

The bump to No. 9 was Franklin’s best career showing on the list, coming in at No. 10 previously ahead of the 2018 season after back-to-back New Year’s Six appearances in 2016 and 2017.

Big Ten head coaches in rankings

Franklin’s place on the list probably comes as little surprise from a national perspective. The first seven picks, in fact, are a who’s who of the industry with Nick Saban at the top, followed by Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, Lincoln Riley, Jimbo Fisher, Ryan Day, and Brian Kelly.

Of course, the exclusivity of national championship-winning coaches in college football remains firmly in tact. Even in that top group, expanding by one last season with Smart’s win at Georgia, only Saban, Smart, Swinney, and Fisher have a championship to their names. With Ed Ogeron stepping down from LSU, that keeps the list at just five of the 130 total active FBS head coaches to earn the distinction.

The Big Ten, meanwhile, is well-represented on the list.

24. Michigan State – Mel Tucker

23. Minnesota – P.J. Fleck

21. Northwestern – Pat Fitzgerald

15. Penn State – James Franklin

14. Wisconsin – Paul Chryst

13. Iowa – Kirk Ferentz

9. Michigan – Jim Harbaugh

6. Ohio State – Ryan Day

Maybe somewhat curiously given the imbalance between the conference’s East and West divisions, the Big Ten has an equal split of representatives on the list between them. Both Ferentz and Chryst, coming out of 10-4 and 9-4 seasons, respectively, jumped four spots apiece.

With four nods each between the sides, the Big Ten’s eight coaches is the most of any conference. That includes the SEC, which tops out at seven.