Penn State Football: Breaking Down James Franklin’s Bowl Game Record
Penn State Football head coach James Franklin has led the Nittany Lions for 10 seasons in Happy Valley, and has guided his teams to nine bowl games during his tenure.
Remember, Penn State declined to participate in a bowl game in 2020 following a 4-5 season during COVID.
In the previous eight bowl matchups at Penn State, Franklin holds a 4-4 record, with three New Year’s Six Bowl wins.
In Franklin’s first season in Happy Valley, Penn State Football won the Pinstripe Bowl in an overtime thriller against Boston College.
Franklin has also won three New Year’s 6 Bowl games, the 2017 Fiesta Bowl (Washington), the 2019 Cotton Bowl (Memphis), and the 2022 Rose Bowl (Utah).
During his tenure, Franklin has also lost the 2015 Taxslayer Bowl (Georgia), 2016 Rose Bowl (USC), 2018 Citrus Bowl (Kentucky), and 2021 Outback Bowl (Arkansas). Before becoming the head coach at Penn State, Franklin held a 2-1 bowl record at Vanderbilt, capping off two nine-win seasons at Vanderbilt (the most wins in a season in school history).
This year’s Peach Bowl will give Franklin the opportunity to move above .500 in bowl games during his tenure at Penn State, while keeping his overall bowl record above .500.
MORE: Penn State Opens as Slight Peach Bowl Betting Favorite
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Education: Saint Vincent College, Penn State Law School
Location: Washington, DC
Experience:Robert Casturo has covered Penn State football for NittanyCentral since 2022. Casturo previously covered Penn State football through a social media presence (@PSU_FB_Thoughts on X) since 2019. Casturo earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 2015, where he was a punter for 1 season on the Saint Vincent College football team and worked in the athletic department for 2 years as a student manager. Casturo earned his JD from Penn State Law in 2018 where he was a senior editor of the Penn State Law Review.
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