Penn State Football: Breaking Down James Franklin’s Track Record in Big Games
Penn State Football is gearing up for its clash against No. 1 Oregon this Saturday in the 2024 B1G Championship Game, unquestionably a big game for head coach James Franklin and his progrm.
And so far there’s been plenty of discussion on what the Nittany Lions need to do to stop the Ducks’ high-powered offense. Furthermore, we at NittanyCentral have highlighted which matchups Penn State needs to win in order to hoist the B1G trophy for the first time since 2016.
Now I’m a simple man. And I know my lane when it comes to football.
I don’t get too far in the weeds when it comes to schemes, matchups, and areas to exploit on either side of the ball. Mainly because in today’s high-paced, complicated game, I can’t fully grasp what is truly going on. I mean I understand and comprehend the outcomes of each play. I’m just saying I don’t break down film, look at the positioning of the linebackers on certain down and distances, and spy the all-22 video to see how the opposing team’s tight end chips on pass plays.
Therefore I will keep it simple.
Let’s instead dive into how James Franklin has faired in big games as Penn State’s head football coach.
James Franklin’s Track Record in Big Games
What is a “Big Game”?
Now before we dive into James from State College’s record in these so-called “big games”, the first thing we need to do is define what a “big game” is.
Previously I think I made a pretty good argument as to what actually constitutes as a “big game” for Penn State Football. Specifically, while James Franklin is the guy steering the ship.
But for this article, I’m going to throw it out.
The most obvious reason being that I would guess the majority of Nittany Lion fans would not agree with it. I know a lot has been made about Franklin‘s record against top 10 teams, and I get it. He’s struggled.
But, so have pretty much every other coach in the nation.
In this case, I’m going to make it fairly simple.
My definition for a “big game” in this article is going to be one where Penn State faced a ranked opponent at the time they played them. So it’s there’s a No. 24 or No. 2 next to the team opposite of the Nittany Lions, we’re including it.
James Franklin’s Coaching Tale of the Tape
For some context, let’s now look at Franklin’s career numbers at Penn State.
In his 11th season at the helm, the Nittany Lions hold a record of 99-40 which comes out to a winning percentage of 71%. Furthermore, Penn State is 64-33 in B1G action and this breaks down to a 66% winning percentage.
The Nittany Lions have won double-digit games in six of James’ 11 seasons which includes three straight this past year. And the 11 wins this season were a program-first for James Franklin.
As for the bowl games? This has been a bit rocky for Penn State. CJF sports a 4-5 record, however, this does include three wins in NY6 bowl games. So he’s got that going for him. Which is nice.
Well, I guess I’ve stalled long enough. Let’s just get to it …
2014 Season
Record: 7-6
L – Penn State 24 vs. No. 13 Ohio State 31
L – No. 10 Michigan State 34 vs. Penn State 10
2015 Season
Record: 7-6
L – Penn State 10 vs. No. 1 Ohio State 38
L – Penn State 16 vs. No. 14 Michigan 28
L – Penn State 16 vs. No. 6 Michigan State 55
2016 Season
Record: 11-3
L – Penn State 10 vs. No. 4 Michigan 49
W – No. 2 Ohio State 21 vs. Penn State 24
W – No. 6 Wisconsin 31 vs. No. 8 Penn State 38
L – No. 5 Penn State 49 vs. No. 9 USC 52
2017 Season
Record: 11-2
W – No. 19 Michigan 13 vs. No. 2 Penn State 42
L – No. 2 Penn State 38 vs. No. 6 Ohio State 39
L – No. 7 Penn State 24 vs. No. 24 Michigan State 27
W – No. 12 Washington 28 vs. No. 9 Penn State 35
2018 Season
Record: 9-4
L – No. 4 Ohio State 27 vs. No. 9 Penn State 26
W – No. 18 Iowa 24 vs. No. 17 Penn State 30
L – No. 14 Penn State 7 vs. No. 5 Michigan 42
L – No. 13 Penn State 24 vs. No. 16 Kentucky 27
2019 Season
Record: 11-2
W – No. 10 Penn State 17 vs. No. 17 Iowa 12
W – No. 16 Michigan 21 vs. No. 7 Penn State 28
L – No. 5 Penn State 26 vs. No. 13 Minnesota 31
L – No. 9 Penn State 17 vs. No. 2 Ohio State 28
W – No. 15 Memphis 39 vs. No. 13 Penn State 53
2020 Season
Record: 4-5
L – No. 3 Ohio State 38 vs. No. 18 Penn State 25
Did this season actually happen? Man, I don’t know about you but it felt like a fever dream.
Anyway, moving on.
2021 Season
Record: 7-6
W – No. 19 Penn State 16 vs. No. 12 Wisconsin 10
W – No. 22 Auburn 20 vs. No. No. 10 Penn State 28
L – No. 4 Penn State 20 vs. No. 3 Iowa 23
L – No. 20 Penn State 24 vs. No. 5 Ohio State 33
L – No. 9 Michigan 21 vs. No. 23 Penn State 17
L – Penn State 10 vs No. 22 Arkansas 24
2022 Season
Record: 11-2
L – No. 10 Penn State 17 vs. No. 5 Michigan 41
L – No. 2 Ohio State 44 vs. No. 13 Penn State 31
W – No. 7 Utah 21 vs. No. 9 Penn State 35
2023 Season
Record: 10-3
W – No. 24 Iowa 0 vs. No. 7 Penn State 31
L – No. 7 Penn State 12 vs. No. 3 Ohio State 20
L – No. 2 Michigan 24 vs. No. 9 Penn State 15
L – No. 10 Penn State 25 vs. No. 11 Ole Miss 38
2024 Season
Record: 11-1
W – No. 19 Illinois 7 vs. No. 9 Penn State 21
L – No. 4 Ohio State 20 vs. No. 3 Penn State 13
?? – No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon
Conclusion
And after I presented you with a wall of text and numbers and now your eyes are bleeding, here’s the result …
Overall Record in Big Games: 13-25
I’m sure all of you already knew that Penn State was 1-11 against Ohio State and 2-6 against Michigan.
So, yeah, a 3-17 record against your so-called rivals when they are ranked isn’t great. However the positive takeaway is that Penn State under Franklin is 10-8 against all of the other teams in big games.
“Not great, but also not horrible, Bob!”
But here’s the main takeaway from all of this: James Franklin is a darn good coach and he’s proven it over his time at Penn State.
Is he a national championship-level coach? No. Plain and simple. But there are very, very few of these coaches out there. That’s just the reality.
However, it still means something when you can go out and beat all of the teams you are supposed to beat. Just look at the craziness that has been college football the past several seasons. This year alone has been a madhouse.
Additionally, James Franklin’s contract, while seemingly absurd at the time of the signing, is actually quite a steal when you look around the nation. As of right now, Franklin is the 13th highest paid coach in college football.
Other Coaches & Saturday’s Outcome
To give you some further context, Mark Stoops at Kentucky makes a half million more than Franklin. Which is a lot considering Kentucky was 4-8 this year.
Oh, and LSU is giving Brian Kelly $1.4+ million more per year to have the Tigers go 8-4. Similarly, Florida State just forked over $1.5 million more for Mike Norvell to tank a 2-10 year after going undefeated last season.
Because in the end, based on his contract, no matter how you slice it, James Franklin is doing objectively well.
Does this mean Penn State will beat Oregon this Saturday? I honestly have no clue. I would like to think so.
But James Franklin led the Nittany Lions to their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
And that means something.
It’s the first time in a long time that Penn State has ended the regular season with an actual chance to win the national title.
MORE: James Franklin, Penn State’s First Best Chance to Become Elite
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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