Penn State’s championship hopes took a massive hit when they faced the biggest upset of this season in Pasadena. Imagine losing against a 0-4 team for the first time since 1985, and that too when they just fired their HC a week ago? The loss to UCLA has not only shocked everyone but also put James Franklin on the hot seat.

Losing to Oregon at home was still not as bad. The Ducks were a ranked team coming off strong wins. But UCLA was a bottom of the barrel team who nobody have a shot at winning. And yet when it was all said and done the Bruins outgained the Nittany Lions 446-357 despite Penn State poaching Jim Knowles from OSU. Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports spoke about Franklin. “A lot of my colleagues have said, “Hey, maybe it’s time for James Franklin to look for other jobs,” and I seem to agree with that. I mean listen, Penn State is not going to buy him out or even consider firing him because his buyout is so large, about $50 million, but also I think he has absolutely reached his limit at Penn State at this point… And losing to UCLA, I think, was just the final nail in the coffin there.”

Franklin did an excellent job returning all the key pieces from last year, such as running back Nicholas Singleton and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. They are paying Jim Knowles $3 million annually. Now you know why Marcello is pointing at this. “This was the season, right? Last year maybe actually was a better team than this version, where everybody came back practically, and they ended up hiring the most expensive defensive coordinator in the country, Jim Knowles from Ohio State. All the pieces were there for them, not only to win the Big Ten, but also the national championship.”

What hurts the most is that before the season Franklin said himself that they have the best combination of player and coaching talent, but now here we are, less than one and a half months into the season, sitting at 3-2 with no win against a Power 4 team. Even Franklin knows the issue. “We didn’t win the last two games, but yeah, obviously I felt that way, or I wouldn’t have said it. But after two losses, it’s hard for me to answer that question and say that that’s the case.” Franklin has a bad habit of losing in big games. He is 4-21 all-time against top 10 opponents. This is why the loss to UCLA feels like the wheels are starting to fall off. Their last conference title was in 2016. Since then, Happy Valley has seen no championships coming their way. But is firing still in charts for Penn State?

It’s not so simple. Franklin is the second winningest coach in the program’s history with a buyout that could exceed $50 million. His contract goes till 2031, and as of today, the AD Pat Kraft is still supportive of him. On top of that, they won’t fire a coach who has won 10 games for them the last 3 years unless he goes winless for the rest of the season. And that’s not happening. But that does not mean he won’t be criticized.

Stephen A. Smith gets real on James Franklin’s fallout

Losing against UCLA is the worst that could have happened to Penn State this season. There is clear frustration over this embarrassing loss. And at the center of it is ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who didn’t hold back. “I’m unapologetic about rooting for African-American coaches. I want them to win,” Smith said. “But respectfully, sir, you’ve got to make the most of it. You’re 1-10 against Ohio State, 3-7 against Michigan. 4-12 against AP Top 10 opponents. This is Penn State we’re talking about.”

Last year’s sting was still fresh after losing against Notre Dame despite having a one score lead over them with 8 minutes remaining in the game. But Drew Allar’s costly interception ended their championship hopes. And this season just made it worse for James Franklin.

The Lions started as the no. 2 team in the country in the preseason. All the analysts were excited for Penn State. But just like Clemson, the bottom fell out after these two back-to-back losses. “You can’t be a coach at a top-notch program known for repeatedly losing the big games,” Smith says. “You’ve got to win sometimes. You can’t be losing like this… it’s unacceptable.” Franklin might have a chance at some sort of redemption if he manages to beat Ohio State. Until then, Penn State will remain as the program with one of the worst falls from grace that this season has seen.