Things have gone from bad to worse for James Franklin. Losing against a ranked opponent (a continuation of Franklin tradition) is one thing. Oregon is one of the best teams in the country. But ahead of their matchup against 0-4 UCLA, everyone had one result in mind. Unfortunately for Penn State, no one told Nico Iamaleava about that result. A 42-37 loss to the Bruins at Rose Bowl Stadium is what the Lions got. To make matters worse, it’s a defeat to an unranked opponent. How will it fare for Franklin? Well, Penn State fans were chanting to fire him last week. Imagine now!

The Lions never got into the game for the same reason. They gave up nearly 300 yards and 27 points in the first half. Now Penn State sits at 3-2 with 0-2 in conference play, and that’s not just impacting their playoff run but also downgrading Franklin’s status in the league!

Everyone knows UCLA has been a big mess since the start of the season. Despite getting in transfer QB Nico Iamaleava, they were at 0-4 in the league. That’s exactly why they even fired their head coach, DeShaun Foster. But suddenly, this underdog team gave James Franklin’s team their biggest setback of the season. And that’s not turning out good for him. As Ron Carthen hits X with a bold statement on their 42-37 loss: “#7 Penn State losing to UCLA, who fired coach DeShaun Foster almost three weeks ago, is the most inexcusable loss of the college football season so far. Shame on James Franklin and his players. Get them out of the Top 25.”

Penn State’s Top 10 position in the AP 25 was already put into question by the likes of Josh Pate. They haven’t had even one impressive win on their resume. Now, they have an exceptional loss. Steller’s Beat person, Alan Sanders, highlights: “Penn State routinely coming up small against the big boys of college football was annoying but excusable. Losing to a UCLA team that has already fired its whole coaching staff should rightfully have the pitchforks out.”

UCLA looked strong since the start of the game and easily moved the ball against Jim Knowles’s defense, leading to a 27-7 halftime score with 370 yards. The worst part? In the second half James Franklin’s team did have a chance to make a comeback, but they fumbled the ball, giving UCLA an upper hand. Luckily even they couldn’t double down on the opportunity, and Penn State blocked their punt and cut the lead to just six points.

Now, UCLA did recover after Penn State’s blocked punt scored two points, and their QB Nico Iamaleava gave the performance everyone was expecting him to. Throwing for 166 yards with two touchdowns and a rushing game of 128 yards with 3 more TDs just elevated their game. Then after that the Lions did have a chance to tie the game in the late fourth quarter; they even stopped UCLA on fourth but couldn’t score on their own fourth down in the Bruins’ 9-yard line.

The worst thing happened when UCLA was just wasting James Franklin’s team time by getting a safety to run down the clock, giving them two points on purpose, and the result? It worked perfectly, as Penn State got the ball with just 12 seconds remaining and couldn’t score! And the result? UCLA scored 446 yards of offense against Penn state and 280 yards on the ground. That’s not just a set back but a big slap on their face. And it’s not just forcing Penn State to look for better replacements for Franklin but also urging fans to boo him.

James Franklin in major trouble

“Fire Franklin” rants were a major highlight in Penn State’s loss against Oregon, but no one expected it to continue against UCLA too. Now, for years, Penn State has been viewed as a Big Ten contender and is 2-21 against ranked teams in the AP Top 6. Their massive comeback of getting over with a 14-point deficit and forcing overtime against Oregon went right into the drain by a costly interception by Drew Allar. These results showed their current struggles to win against top programs. But against UCLA? That’s no excuse.

Fans are frustrated by their second-half collapses and late-game mistakes, and the only thing that’s left for them to say is to get rid of James Franklin. But is it that straight to first him? Back in 2021 Franklin signed a 10-year deal that pays him an $8 million salary with a $500k retention bonus each year. So, if at all Penn State plans on firing him, they will have to pay him the entire base salary with supplemental pay of $6.5 million with his insurance of $1 million and $8 million in total for the number of years remaining.

So, in total, Penn State would owe James Franklin a hefty amount of $56 million if it’s just after this loss, and if they wait until 2026, then the amount might go to $48 million. For now that’s not the case, but possible options are already floating in, like Jon Gruden, who’s showing his immense interest in returning to coach, as he stated, “I would die to coach in the SEC.” It means he’s eager for a chance, and Penn State could very well use that zeal and enthusiasm.

Now, next week Penn State’s going up against Northwestern, and only a win can save Franklin’s fate.