Week 7 was full of surprises. Some were pleasant, and some weren’t. Penn State’s shocking fall to Northwestern was of the latter kind. There’s little to save Franklin and PSU, after recording a losing streak that seems uncharacteristic for the program. Paul Finebaum is calling it for James Franklin, now that the hope has gone out for the Nittany Lions.

A defeat to a ranked team is acceptable – people have accepted that as a James Franklin trait now. But UCLA torching Penn State, followed by the humiliating defeat to Northwestern has done PSU in for the season. Paul Finebaum fired away at Franklin and his future in an October 12 episode of The Matt Barrie Show. “Nobody here is suggesting James Franklin be fired. He has a tremendous resume. What I am suggesting is that James Franklin meet with the administration at Penn State and start planning an exit, because to me it feels like he has no credibility remaining.”

Franklin has been at Happy Valley for 11 years now. But Penn State in the last few years has become a broken record of sorts. The Lions now have no hope of making the playoffs after the Northwestern loss—a sad reality for fans who were convinced that this is the year James Franklin makes it. Moreover, Drew Allar is now out with a season-ending injury. The on-field struggles during this losing streak were brought on by Penn State themselves, calling for more questions on Franklin’s leadership. Finebaum thought it was simply better for both PSU and the HC if he stepped away now.

Franklin is signed on till 2031 for a whopping $85 million, which makes this decision a little tricky for PSU athletics. Franklin entered the 2025 season with a $56 million buyout, further complicating things. Calls of firing him are nothing new, having become a recurring theme for Penn State in the reasons. But the top brass still held on, letting Franklin run things year after year. The hope for him among fans this year was to finally get past his problem of losing to ranked teams, and bring titles to Penn State. They Lions were full well able to do so, being loaded with experienced players, and entering the season as No, 2 in the AP Poll.

But Northwestern planting its flag in Happy Valley has pushed James Franklin’s future a lot closer to the exit doors. The Penn State offense did very little to impress, while Northwestern came in swinging. By halftime, the Wildcats followed in toe-to-toe behind the lions with 13-14. Ultimately, Allar taking that final blow and backup QB Ethan Grunkemeyer being unable to make a mark pushed the game towards Northwestern’s favor. Franklin is taking full responsibility for Penn State going to the point of no return.

James Franklin addresses dark state of team after Northwestern blow

The Penn State HC, at this point, can’t do much but take the heat coming for the way Penn State is performing. “I take full responsibility for all of it,” Franklin told the press after the game. “I hired all the staff, I recruited all the players; I believe in all of them. But we’re not getting it done right now,” he added. He’s got one of the best DCs in college football, has a squad with mostly senior players. And yet, Penn State is 3-3 halfway through the season.

Franklin visits Iowa next. If UCLA and Northwestern have cause this much damage, the hope is slim for a comeback against Iowa. This was once a unit that looked unstoppable before the season, and was the 2nd best contender for the National Championship. Now, even a bowl game seems a distant reality with Drew Allar out of the equation. Who knows, maybe the Hawkeyes vent their season’s frustrations on a broken Penn State in Week 8.

James Franklin has to go unbeaten for the remainder of his schedule to earn back some respect. That seems a little improbable, because Ohio State and Indiana will be waiting for him. This might very well be the last year we see James Franklin at the Beaver Stadium, if he manages to disappoint fans even more.