"The head coach has lost the Penn State room": CFB analyst makes bold claim that firing James Franklin is the program’s only path to a title

Penn State coach James Franklin was already on the hot seat after his Nittany Lions were upset by the UCLA Bruins in Week 6 action. The Nittany Lions were once again upset 22-21 by the Northwestern Wildcats in Week 7 action despite being 24.5-point favorites for the game.

Franklin's team has now lost three consecutive games, a series that started with a defeat by the Oregon Ducks in a boisterous white out game at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions became the first team to go 3-3 since 1950 after being ranked in the top two of the AP preseason poll.

College football insider Bob Flounders gave a damning indictment of the beleaguered James Franklin, who has a significant $56.66 million buyout if he were to be fired by Penn State.

“Franklin has to go. The buyout is substantial, but the head coach has lost the Penn State room. His players were pushed around by teams with inferior talent the last two Saturdays. And highly-paid coordinators Andy Kotelnicki and Jim Knowles have not made any noteworthy adjustments,” Flounders wrote.

James Franklin remains defiant after upset

Last season, James Franklin led the Penn State Nittany Lions to both the Big Ten championship game, where they lost to the Oregon Ducks and the Orange Bowl, where they lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Despite a woeful season so far after the defeat to the Northwestern Wildcats, Franklin remained defiant when he was asked about his future during his postgame news conference.

"We shouldn't lose that game," Franklin said. "It's 100% on me, and we have to get it fixed, and I will get it fixed. I love those kids. I am committed to those players in that locker room, and I've been that way for 12 years. I've been that way for 15 years of my head coaching career, and I've been that way for 30 years. "That won't change. It's always been about the players for me; that won't ever change. That's what it's all about for me. So my commitment is to the guys in that locker room and all the guys that have been in that locker room in the past. That's where my commitment is."

James Franklin is undoubtedly in the hottest seat in college football and after Penn State lost quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending injury, the Nittany Lions coach's work just got harder with the season approaching its climax.

Edited by Cabral Opiyo