Penn State can not get over the hump. James Franklin, part of the USC rumor mill in 2021 before Lincoln Riley got hired, might be on the hot seat

Matt Rhule headlines Penn State's list of potential next football coach hires after James Franklin's loss to UCLA

James Franklin was asked earlier this week if he was concerned that he was losing the Penn State football locker room, that players might begin to tune him out after back-to-back losses. According to three players available this week, that doesn’t seem likely.

Franklin's career record against AP-ranked top-10 teams, including his time as a head coach at both Vanderbilt and Penn State, is currently 4-25. That includes a 1-18 record (.053) against top-5 squads, and Franklin is also 17-36 overall (.321) against AP Top 25 ranked teams in general.