Ask you something real quick. How is it that we’re not even in summer cookout season yet, no cleats have touched fall grass, and somehow—somehow—Penn State just got crowned No. 1 in the country? Yeah. You read that right. Not Texas. Not Ohio State. ESPN just dropped a preseason rankings bomb, and James Franklin‘s Nittany Lions came out on top. And folks? It’s got the entire college football world doing backflips in disbelief.
Now, to be fair, Penn State didn’t just get tossed the No. 1 spot for vibes and nostalgia. The 2024 squad finished 13–3, pushed Notre Dame to the brink in the CFP semifinal, and had Drew Allar out here slinging rockets—except, you know, the one that Notre Dame housed for six. They have one of the best returning roster in the country. Boy, they went heavy in the portal, snagged weapons, and even pulled Jim Knowles from Ohio State to run the defense after Tom Allen dipped to run Dabo Swinney’s secondary. Not going to lie, these types of off-season moves will put in the top. ESPN clearly saw something. No denial there. But that’s also where the problems begin.
Because the second this ranking hit the net, RJ Young from Fox Sports did not hesitate. He hopped on his podcast, dropped the mic, and torched ESPN’s logic: RJ Young gave flowers and props for James Franklin’s off-season stunts and moves, but also gave: “My issue with this is to win the national championship, you have to beat top five teams. Sounds like, you know, a step that would happen anyway, given what people think about Penn State. But James Franklin is just 1–15 against AP Top 25 opponents. And more importantly, has lost 12 straight to top five ranked opponents. I don’t know how you let that one go. I don’t see how you can tell me Penn State is good enough to beat Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, when they haven’t done that—particularly when it matters.”
Franklin’s record against Top 10 teams? 4–20. Against Top 5? 1–15. And against ranked teams? 12–26. That’s not even funny at this point. That’s pain. The last time he beat a top-5 opponent? 2016. A blocked field goal. A miracle. Ohio State. It’s been eight years. That’s a full elementary school cycle. Since then, nothing but heartbreak and handshakes.
Take a look: they haven’t beaten Ohio State since 2016. Michigan? Franklin’s gone ghost against them too. His record against the two Big Ten gatekeepers is 4–16. And yeah, Penn State’s been a top-10 team, consistently. But they’ve also been that top-10 team that looks pretty until the lights get bright. Then—poof. Gone. But fans on both sides of the aisle had something to say about that. Penn State loyalists tried to rally behind the roster, screaming about how Drew Allar’s ready, the O-line is low-stacked, and the defense is top-3 nationally. And yeah — on paper, this might be Franklin’s most talented team since he showed up in Happy Valley.
RJ young kept it real: “When Penn State plays Auburn, they beat the brakes off of them. When SMU—another Boise State-type team—comes in, they beat the brakes off of them. But when they’ve got to play somebody that’s quite literally on their level, they fold. They fold. That’s just a fact. There’s nothing else to say about that until they actually get it done. So right now, I reject—and I categorically am upset—at the idea of making Penn State a No. 1 ranked team in the preseason poll. What are we doing here? For what? So they can go play a top five team later and get beat?”
Let’s be real — we’ve seen this movie before. Penn State starts hot, reels off some early wins against borderline-good programs, gets the hype train moving at warp speed… then smacks headfirst into Michigan or Ohio State like they forgot what elite football looks like. And that was before they had to worry about Ohio State, Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers, and Oregon in the same year. In simple terms: Penn State doesn’t have that clutch factor that Ohio State or Michigan got.
Are James Franklin and Penn State really no. 1 material—if we just ignore his ugly record vs top teams?
If you look at the resume, sure—Penn State’s offseason was fire. James Franklin did more winning in the portal than he’s done in Columbus the last decade. The biggest L? Losing edge rusher Abdul Carter, who just went No. 3 overall in the draft. But outside of that? Man stacked the deck.
Drew Allar is back for his senior season and sits top 3 or 4 in the Heisman odds. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen? Back, too. This RB duo cracked 1K on the ground last season. Name another backfield doing that in 2025. We’ll wait. James Franklin did a pretty job in the portal. Now toss in Devonte Ross from Troy, who went nuclear with over 1,000 yards and 11 TDs last season. Then there’s Trebor Pena from Syracuse, who added 941 yards and 9 tuddies to his name. Allar actually has receivers now. What a concept.
And that O-line? They didn’t just stay solid—they upgraded. T.J. Shanahan from Texas A&M might’ve been the sneakiest elite move of the whole offseason. If he lives up to the hype, Allar might actually have time to let those deep balls fly without checking if his soul is still in his chest after every play.
Defense? Just as loud. They scooped up Amare Campbell from UNC, a linebacker who ate up 76 tackles and 6.5 sacks last year. Added edge rusher Enai White from A&M and trench warrior Owen Wafle from Michigan. Then, like a full-circle anime plot twist, they brought safety King Mack back from Alabama. Yep. Homie came home. Secondary just got real nasty.
But none of those names hit quite like Jim Knowles. The man ran Ohio State’s defense last year. Won a natty. And now? He’s in Happy Valley with a fatter paycheck and a whole different mission: make Penn State scary again. Knowles is from Philly, so this ain’t just business—it’s personal. The dude wants to break the curse. And if anybody can finally get this team to not pee down their legs in big games, it might be him.
Still… that’s a massive “if.”
Because, let’s be real, no matter how dope your portal pickups are, or how thick your depth chart looks in May, James Franklin’s got a reputation for making the wrong kind of history when it counts. His teams get the invite, sure. But when they show up to the dance, they leave early and empty-handed. It’s not even a hate thing—it’s a pattern. Facts are facts.
Bottom line: you can dress Penn State up all you want. You can give them weapons, coordinators, All-Americans, a preseason No. 1 ranking. But until they beat someone who hits back, ain’t nobody buying the dream.
The post James Franklin Hit With Harsh Reality Check as Major Penn State News Spark Uncomfortable Discussion appeared first on EssentiallySports.